A bouquet of roses
by prenatural
Summary: As on so many other occasions and different universes, Jaune Arc comes to Beacon at the age of seventeen, carrying Crocea Mors, a family heirloom. However, there is a difference. This time he doesn't care in the slightest about becoming a hunter and making his family proud of him, as he has a mission to accomplish and a promise to fulfill. No matter what it takes.
1. Chapter One - I

**Chapter One**

 _In which Jaune Arc meets the last rose of summer, and destiny is slowly but surely steered in the right direction again. Or perhaps not?_

 **I**

"What do you think you're doing?" He heard a girl scream loudly. It was a pity she behaved like that, for her voice was clearly very beautiful; he would have paid any price to hear her sing. But well. She wouldn't be the first or the last person to waste her natural talents.

More out of curiosity than anything else, Jaune Arc followed the noise. At the very least that, whatever it was, would allow him to be distracted from the nervousness that had been devouring him from within since he boarded the aircraft to go to Beacon. Even if only for a few moments.

What he found was a girl dressed all in white - she even had white hair - yelling at another girl who was obviously younger than her. She was as beautiful as her voice suggested. He did not overlook the scar on her face, but it was difficult to notice, even more so because of her pale complexion, so it was an exotic detail that enhanced her beauty, not a flaw that damaged it.

He was aware of that, but it did not affect him in the least. He had no interest in girls. Not like that. Neither in boys, by the way.

Now that he was looking at her, there was something familiar about her victim. But from this distance he couldn't be sure of what it was.

A chill ran down his back. He told himself it was nothing, and he might even believe it if he kept on insisting. In spite of that, he did not turn around. He continued on his way.

The girl who looked so familiar to him rose to her feet. She seemed disoriented, as if she could fall again at any moment. Or vomit. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her. Not long ago he had been vomiting in the bathroom, trying to calm his stomach and desperate for that nightmare to end.

He had never been a friend of heights. Especially not after...

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted, as if it were something written on a scratched disc instead of a continuous process, and they jumped forward. As a defense mechanism it was not a major thing. But at least it delayed the inevitable.

He still couldn't see her face, but he did see that she was wearing a black dress with red trim and a red cape with a hood tied to her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," the girl apologized. For bumping into the other, it seemed. Snow White had gone around pushing a Dust cart, and now most of its contents lay scattered on the floor. At least none of the suitcases had opened in the fall. That would have been potentially disastrous.

Jaune paused.

That face, those eyes like liquid silver... She was Ruby Rose, no doubt. Though he had been avoiding meeting her, for now, only for now. She hid behind the first thing she saw, a tree, as fast as she could. As if a look of his could kill him. Anyone who saw him would think something like that, for he was trembling. Not very forcefully, but it was noticeable.

He bit his lower lip. He wanted to see her. He had to see her. But he didn't want it to be so fast, because... Because he was afraid. He could no longer try to deny or hide from that simple truth. He was unable to handle social interactions, and the idea of ending up chasing her away was so terrible that it threatened to make his heart stop.

Even though he had a mission to accomplish. And a promise to keep.

"Give me that," Snow White said, taking her suitcase from her hands, and opened it. That would probably end badly. "This is Dust, mined and purified, straight out of the Schnee quarry."

Ruby still seemed a little confused, disoriented. She didn't follow the little speech that Miss Snow White was giving her, and she didn't seem to have the slightest desire to do so either.

"Are you brain-dead?"

For long seconds Jaune forgot to breathe, plunged his fingers into the trunk of the tree with all his might, digging holes in the wood. How dare she speak to her like that? Who the fuck did she think she was? He didn't know, but suddenly he was burning with the desire to give her a good beating to teach her the lesson that she should respect Ruby.

His hand hovered just above the handle of the sword. Despite his desire, he was struggling to make the decision to act. Because he could not be expelled from Beacon, not after the blood, sweat and tears he had had spilled to get here. And especially not on his first day. But especially because Ruby was right there, and he didn't know how she would react to that.

That wretched bitch was moving a bottle of red Dust in front of her face, she didn't know why or when she had started doing such a thing. He had lost himself in his thoughts. Ruby seemed to be about to cough, and yet she wouldn't stop doing that, saying something that was going in one ear and out the other, without even registering its meaning.

He was not a fool who had given the reins to his unjust anger, so he knew it was going to end badly. That since Ruby would not be able to restrain herself, the Dust would explode.

He had to act. Right now.

Enough excuses, he told himself.

He took a deep breath.

Jaune ran. Without thinking, without giving himself time to think, because then he might have hesitated. He did not have time to reach her before she coughed, before she triggered the explosion, but he did have time to wrap his arms around her and protect her with his body.

A cloud of smoke enveloped them.

He felt the ground collapse beneath his feet. The formation of a crater quite deep, it seemed. He had his Aura to protect him from the worst of the explosion, but that did not prevent him from feeling the heat. His teeth churned. He squeezed Ruby harder.

When they stopped sinking, when the cloud of smoke dissipated, he released her. She stared at him strangely, perhaps even a little intrigued. Feelings that were quickly replaced by the purest shame. Her cheeks burned.

"Hey, thank you for giving me a hand" She murmured, unable to look into his eyes. To stand up he also had to give her a hand, only this time in a literal way.

They came out of the crater.

Snow White had been spared from the worst of her own mistake. As expected. At least now she was not so white. Her face was smeared with dust and soot, her precious white dress had also been sullied. And nothing else, of course. If she had received the explosion directly, not only would she have died, but her body would be flying in pieces over even the trees.

He would have to settle for this. Well... almost.

She rose to her feet, albeit with difficulty. Despite what had just happened, her rage had not subsided one bit. Quite the opposite.

"That's what I was talking about!

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Ruby apologized. Again.

Jaune put his hand on the handle of his sword, and looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You don't have to. It wasn't your fault, and you know it. You don't have to go this far just to please her.

"What are you talking about...?" she demanded, indignant. And she suddenly got very quiet. Having the edge of a sword against the neck usually caused that reaction in people. Intriguing.

"What you heard," he said slowly and deliberately. Without blinking. "You insisted on shaking Dust's vial in front of her, even though she was about to cough and activate it. Even though anyone could have anticipated what would happen. So there are three options. First, you have no idea how to handle the Dust. Second, you did it knowingly for some kind of perverse pleasure. Third, you were so embarrassed by your mistake that you wanted to blame her and thereby appease your ego.

Of course it could also be that you got angry enough not to realize what was going on under your own noses," he continued. "In any case, my opinion of you is very poor right now."

"Take that away from me," she replied. Paler than usual, however difficult it may sound. "Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't care," Jaune said. " I do not care if you are the tooth fairy or the granddaughter of the Headmaster. Apologize. Right now. Or I swear to you..."

Ruby stood between them, placed her hand on top of the one holding the sword.

"Calm down," she said in a conciliatory tone. In hers gaze there was something he didn't like, something that made his heart drop: fear. And not of the other girl, but of him. What had he done wrong? "You don't have to start a fight here, do you?" As neither answered, she insisted, "Do you?"

The bitch refused to answer even then. She was looking at him defiantly, and refused to look away from his own, as if it was a challenge she had to overcome.

Jaune slowly lowered his arm, sheathed the sword. It dawned on him that he was still shaking. And more forcefully than before.

Ruby looked back at him. She seemed to want to say something else, but she dared not.

"You're like a Faunus," the girl in white said, slowly and after a little while, "so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. You are violent and..." She swallowed. "The director shouldn't have let you or your kind in here."

She turned around. Somehow Jaune resisted the temptation to trip her. Anyway, it didn't matter. At first she walked calmly, as if nothing had happened here, but then she gained speed. And in the blink of an eye she disappeared into the crowd.

She was afraid of him. It was more than clear.

Jaune smiled.

 _Good_ , he thought. _She will think twice before assaulting Ruby again._

He turned to look at her, trying to work out what to say and do, what could make his first impression a little better. He opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly. Nothing came out of his lips. Not the slightest noise.

She consumed his vision. She was so beautiful. He thought he was ready to stand next to and speak with her because he had imagined so many times what she would look like, but her beauty was overwhelming. Her beautiful silver eyes. Her undoubtedly soft lips. Her love. Because that was what he was seeing in her eyes. Not the glitter of steel, but love for the world. Something he had lost a long time ago.

"Hey?" Ruby waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Are you still there?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Last night I could hardly sleep out of nervousness. If I fail... I don't even want to think about it. I imagine you'll understand."

 _You idiot. She's not going to buy that cheap excuse._

 _She' s fifteen years old. Two less than me, not seven. And that's not all. She must have noticed that I wasn't falling asleep, far from it, that I was aware. And looking at her with all my attention. But maybe she assumes it was because I "realized" that she is younger than the rest of the students._

 _Hopefully._

"Not really. To be honest, I know I'm going to pass the test. Whatever it is. What makes me nervous is the idea of meeting new people."

"Well, you've got me, right? My name is Jaune Arc, by the way."

Ruby smiled, or forced herself to smile. And she stretched out a hand towards him.

"Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. Again, thank you for helping me."

Jaune stared at her hand for long seconds, so long that Ruby became restless, her smile became more fragile. He shook her hand.

"You don't have to thank me. What kind of hunter would refuse to help someone?"

Ruby laughed. It was a bit forced, even he could tell, and a bit out of place, as he had said was not funny. But it was a beautiful laugh. It calmed his shaking, almost stopped it altogether.

"Yes. Yes, of course." She was still unable to look him in the eye. He hoped that it was normal for her, that his aggressiveness had not affected her. Without much conviction. "My older sister dumped me, and... and, well, would you mind joining me?"

 _Wait. You have a sister?_

And even worse, a sister who didn't take care of her as she should, as Ruby deserved. He had to investigate that. Thoroughly.

Jaune Arc smiled. For once, it was an entirely natural smile.

"Of course. I would love to."

* * *

Ruby left him as soon as they found the auditorium. He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt, but he concentrated on examining the person who had called her to her side. A tall, blonde woman with wild hair. Judging by how happy Ruby was, she must been her sister. Which only added to his confusion. No matter how he looked at her, they were nothing alike. And he didn't say it just because of the physical appearance. Her older sister was a little more... daring. You could tell by a just looking at her.

Was she adopted? From another mother?

Even someone with such limited social skills as himself recognized that asking directly would be indecorous, and he couldn't think of a more discreet way to find out the truth. He would have to resist until he deepened his relationship with Ruby. If he was capable of that, after the last fiasco. Perhaps that was going to be the first and last conversation he would have with her.

He put his hands on his head and squeezed.

 _Don't think about it_ , he said to himself. _Think of... nothing._

Yes, it was better that way. To a certain extent he could not avoid an extreme reaction to anything to do with Ruby, as the last decade of his life had revolved around her. But it wouldn't do him any good. That was unquestionable. He put his hands in his pockets, tried to regain control of himself.

He should come a little closer. So he could hear the conversation she was having with her sister. Maybe it wouldn't be the best thing for him, but if she told her what had happened, maybe that would be his only chance to hear what she really thought about him. Someone like her probably wouldn't say it to his face, openly and without hesitation.

He made his way through the crowd.

"Are you being sarcastic?" his sister asked.

"Oh, I wish." She pouted. "I thought I had given so much consideration to what might happen, simulated so many scenarios, that I was prepared for the worse. But no. No! I was wrong. It's horrible, the worst first day I could have had. I literally can't think of a way to make it worse."

"Okay. I understand that your encounter with the Schnee made you feel bad, but..."

He felt ashamed. He should have realized that sooner. In his defense, it is not as if he would have changed his course of action. Not a bit.

"The Schnee?"

"Sister, please. What seventeen-year-old girl would have natural white hair but a Schnee?"

"Well, I don't know." She shrugged. "Stranger things have happened... Okay, okay. I should have known. I admit it. But that's not what's important here. Not really."

"I was saying, I know that must not have been nice. But you're exaggerating. The day has just begun. It could get much, much worse."

Ruby glared at her.

"And I thought you were here to make me feel better."

She laughed. "Not always, little one. Not always. Now, seriously. You're really exaggerating, you haven't been in Beacon for an hour. There is plenty of time for you to meet people who know how to appreciate you as you are. Unless... something else happened? Is that it? Something you don't want to tell me?"

"Well..."

"Ruby. You know you can tell me anything, right? I promise I won't be angry with that... Weiss. I'll just inform the teachers of whatever she has said or done to. I know I can be..." She stopped for a while, looking for the right word. "Difficult. But I would never break a promise to you. "

"Yang, it's not what you think. Really.

There was also a boy there," she continued after a long pause. "He protected me from the explosion with his body. Not that he needed to, I wasn't in danger or anything like that, really. But at least he tried. And he intervened in my defense. He scared me a little," she confessed. "Like you when you get angry."

"I still don't see where the problem is. From the looks of it, you've made a friend." But it was a rhetorical question. She already knew that the answer wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"He put the sword against her throat. He demanded that she apologize. And I think... I think he was prepared to do her really hurt. I don't know, maybe it was just my imagination. Worst of all, I don't know him, I've never seen him in my life, not even in passing. And yet, he got so angry about what she had done to me, as if he were family. Or something." She shook her head slightly. Her eyes were wide open and vulnerable. "I don't understand."

Yang stayed serious, quiet.

"Although I haven't seen that, I don't think he wanted to hurt her. And most likely, little sister, that boy fell in love with you as soon as he saw you. Love at first sight."

"Huh?" Ruby got almost as red as his cape. Almost. "Wh-what are you...? What are you saying?"

"He was probably just trying to impress you. You know," she winked at her "win your heart. Boys usually do stupid things for the girls they're in love with. It's nothing to worry about excessively."

Ruby pursed her lips, bowed her head.

"Do you really think so?"

Yang put a hand on her shoulder, squeezed.

"I'd bet on it. So tell me everything you know about the boy who might become part of the family. Is he cute? What's his name?

"I suppose he was," she muttered after a while. In such a low voice that it was difficult for him to decipher what she was saying at that distance. "I don't know. I've never thought much about that sort of thing." Her face lit up slightly. To him, that simple change was as beautiful and significant as the sunset. "But he told me his name. Jaune Arc."

"Humm, it doesn't ring a bell. Cheer up, that probably means he's not another smug asshole."

Ruby nodded. She looked better now, but didn't seem entirely convinced about him. Despite Yang's efforts to reassure and encourage her. He could not blame her for that, however. He had screwed up. And there was no one who could help him get get out of that hole. As always.

As always since...

Since never. He didn't have to remember that now.

Not now, not ever.

Looking around, with a heavy heart in his chest, he saw Weiss in the crowd. She was looking at Ruby and Yang. But especially Ruby. It seemed that she had not learned the lesson, that he would have to be more clear with it. He was not going to let her bother Ruby again. Especially not now that he had discovered that her older sister wasn't really that bad and they were having a nice time together.

Fortunately for Weiss Schnee, she didn't move an inch. She didn't make the biggest mistake of her life. He could relax. Try not to think about what he didn't have to think about and wait patiently for Headmaster Ozpin's arrival to deliver the welcoming speech.

All while he felt impatient, almost in agony, as if his skin was red-hot.

He had to make things right with her. No matter the costs.


	2. Chapter One - II

**II**

A world of shadows, of greys and blacks. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to compare what he was seeing with some sort of theatre.

On top of that darkness crawled a small, weak child. He imagined that the white lines running down from various points on his body -the head, arm, and his chest- were a way to represent blood. He fell to the ground, rose with great effort. He fell again. And yet he moved on. He kept trying. His was a determination bordering on madness.

And why was he doing all of that?

He was approaching something. Someone.

The pool of blood beneath that person was in the shape of the shattered moon, which watched over everything from the heavens.

* * *

He gasped, suddenly woke up, standing up.

There was a stranger by his side, hand on his shoulder. She had said something to him. Jaune grunted and pushed her, surprising her to the point that she lost her balance.

"I'm sorry," he said, not understanding very well why he felt the need to apologize. "You scared me."

"No harm done," the girl said, and the most surprising thing is that she seemed to mean it. "I just wanted to tell you that the auditorium is empty. The others are gone."

Jaune blinked, looked around. It was true. He had lost sight of Ruby.

The girl who had woken him was taller than him, a redhead with a ponytail and wearing armor. It looked nothing like his, though. He recognized that style of armor, or at least he thought he recognized it, but he couldn't tell where it came from. Well, it didn't really matter. It was not worth the effort to remember. It was inevitable that they would see each other again, but surely they would never speak again.

Many would have called her beautiful. He simply wondered how he could get away from her as quickly as possible without causing a scene.

When he realized that he could not do such a thing, it was difficult to not show his irritation on his face.

"Thank you," he said. "You know where we have to go, don't you?"

"Sure." She nodded. "I'll be happy to guide you."

They started walking to... wherever they had to go.

"You couldn't sleep because of nervousness?" she asked him.

"What?"

"The night before, I mean."

Jaune snorted.

"Not at all. I was nervous, I'm still nervous. But not about coming here. And that didn't affect my sleep. I just don't sleep well. I haven't done it in a while."

"Why are you nervous?"

"That's a very private question, don't you think?" He added, "No offense."

"Then I'll start with a more appropriate one. What's your name?"

 _Shut up_ , he thought. _Shut up now, can't you see I don't want to talk to you?_

"Jaune Arc. And you?"

"Excuse me?"

"And you?" he repeated. Having to do so only increased his irritation. She, for some reason, seemed astonished.

"Pyrrha Nikos. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah." It was an ambiguous answer that she could interpret as she wished. He wasn't going to go so far as to allow "me too" to pass through his lips, of course not. He didn't like liars. He hadn't done it since always, even before...

 _Stop doing that_ , he screamed at himself. But that was as useless as trying to stop a tsunami with his hands. After all, entering Beacon was like digging up his past, only not slowly, little by little, chunk by chunk of earth, but all at once. Without giving him time to prepare for what he would find beneath, either a rotting corpse, or a bunch of bones. Or nothing but dust.

No, it was even worse than that. His past and his future, his destiny, were colliding. Destroying each other. And there was no way of knowing what would remain when the smoke dissipated.

"Jaune."

He winced.

"You were falling asleep again. Or so it seemed. You don't know me, do you?"

"Well, no."

"Are you serious?"

"I told you. No. Earlier I had to deal with a little girl who thinks the world revolves around her because of the prestige of her family name, so if you're like her, get lost."

"Don't get me wrong. It just... surprised me. In a good way."

"Yeah?" Maybe he shouldn't have been so dry, but she was testing his patience. In fact, it was near the boiling point.

"I'm a little famous," she explained as if I had asked her a question, "so I'm used to... well..."

"To people kissing the ground you walk on," Jaune offered. Anything to make her shut up faster.

"Yes, I didn't want to say it like that, but you're right."

"I can assure you that you won't have that problem with me, at least."

Pyrrha smiled.

"I can see that already," she replied in a soft voice.

At last they reached their destination, which turned out to be a ballroom. If he wasn't mistaken. He wasn't exactly a person who was used to attending dances.

He bid her farewell with a nod and began to look for a place to put his things and sleep when night came.

He couldn't help but notice that many eyes followed her movements, whispers and indiscreet comments. It seemed that this Pyrrha had lied to him. She was quite famous, not just a little. He would have to look for her name on his scroll. Just to be sure.

Protecting Ruby Rose was his job, but maybe Pyrrha was someone he wanted to have by Ruby's side to do it if he was not around for some reason.

Also, it was always worth knowing more about the people he would live with for four years that could be a threat.

At first he looked for a place near Ruby, but he had arrived too late, it seemed he would have to settle for the first spot he found. He could only blame himself for that. He knew it, but... he clicked his tongue.

He sat on the blanket, placed his back against one of the pillars. He look around. As if waiting for someone to come out of hiding and attack him. He shook his head, pulled out his scroll and searched the net for Pyrrha's name. That way he discovered that she was four times champion of some tournament in Mistral. That's what the armor reminded him of. Mistral.

It sounded like he hadn't made a mistake. She would be a convenient ally, it had been worth not following his first impulse. In other words, to tell her to fuck off. If he could get her to become Ruby's friend... at the very least arranging things so that she would end up on her team and wait for the two of them to do the rest, he'd be relieved.

But it was useless to think about that now, because he had no idea how the teams would be distributed. Maybe it was a matter of choice; maybe they did it at random. Who knows. Speculation was fine; he would even say it was healthy. But not when one didn't even have a shred of information.

He nailed his eyes on Ruby. Gathering the little courage possessed by a coward like him, he stood up and approached her. He had to fix things. If he left things like that until tomorrow... He didn't even want to think about how Ruby's opinion of him would solidify.

She was talking to her sister, Yang, about something. Couldn't say what it was. His ears were ringing. He felt like he was drowning. After his first meeting, he had felt even more attracted to her. But it had been foolish to think that he had left fear behind. It would never leave, not really.

He felt like he was drowning. After his first meeting, he had felt even more attracted to it. But it had been foolish to think that he had left fear behind. He would never leave, not really.

He made his way up to her. She stopped.

"Ruby?" He called her. The ringing went away, as if her name was a magic word.

She looked at him. She seemed surprised. And... and what else?

"Ah, hello Jaune." For some reason, her cheeks were very red. Was she ill? A knot formed in in his stomach just at the thought of it. "How are you?"

"I'm have no reason to complain. Hey, I wanted to tell you... I'm sorry. For acting like I did before, with Weiss. I just wanted to defend you, but I should have behaved differently. It's just that I, I..." He looked away, on the verge of tears.

"Is there bad blood between you and her?" Ruby softly suggested. "Or her family?"

Jaune nodded. It was a good excuse. Certainly better than anything that might have occurred to him in his state.

She carefully, tentatively, put a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand. Well, no, I do not understand. I don't even know you. But... I guess what I mean is that I get why you did that. Or so I think. "

She made him turn his head toward her. Her face became a mixture of shame and worry.

"Jaune, you are..."

"Sorry. I know it's silly, but..." He wiped his tears with his hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

( _please don't hate me_!)

"Don't cry. No, there is nothing to forgive. Really, what did you do to me? Nothing. I should thank you. Well, I already did... but thank you again. You deserve it," she said so hurriedly that she ran out of breath. "Oh, I don't even know what I'm saying."

Jaune swallowed. He struggled to regain control of himself. How was he going to convince Ruby that he could protect her from anything if almost the first thing he had done in front of her was crumble like a baby?

 _Stupid. Stupid._

"Don't make that face," he whispered. "I'll be fine. I suppose it was because of all the excitement, the stress. You don't have to worry about me."

Ruby nodded slowly.

"Jaune?"

"What?"

She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry. For misjudging you. And thank you again."

Jaune was speechless. _Is she apologizing to me? Did I hear right?_ Ruby Rose was too kind.

"No. Thank you. Well, I'll leave you..." he looked to the side. Yang was looking at him as if she didn't believe what just happened. And it wasn't surprising. After all, as far as she knew, he had met Ruby earlier today. He had not had time to feel attached to her. Certainly not to such an extent that he would cry in front of everyone because of her. "I'll leave you with your sister. Be well. Both of you."

He retraced his steps, collapsed on top of his blanket. He felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him, but not entirely. That wasn't surprising either. This, if he could call it anything, was only the beginning. The first day of the rest of his life. So to speak.

He took a deep breath. He looked at the sheet beneath him. White on the side he was sitting on, and with drawings of roses. The other was colored red.

He wondered how long he would be able to sleep tonight. And how he well he would do it.

* * *

He realized that he was dreaming, that what he felt and would feel was only part of a nightmare. But that didn't mean he could do anything about it. In fact, within his own mind he was weaker than in any other place or time.

He was short of breath.

The smell of blood floating in the stagnant air was strong enough to suffocate him.

The heat was unbearable. And the pressure of the...

He lacked the courage to finish that thought, even though he knew what it was about. But his mind didn't care what he was able to endure and what he wasn't, it didn't make those distinctions.

 _Of, of..._

No.

 _Of the corpses._

He shrieked with all his strength, with all the air he was holding in his lungs. He stirred like mad, struggling to free himself. From the pressure and the heat and the blood. But no matter how much he moved, he could not escape. And part of him knew it. A part of him was aware that he would always be there.

( _let me out!_ )

He felt like a bug that had been pierced with a stick and left on the ground to die, without being able to do anything about it, without knowing why he was even going to die. He raised his arms high, as if they could extend and go through the hazy roof. As if he could grasp something in the open sky on the other side of it.

Jaune.

A spider. That was the most appropriate name for him, because of how his arms, his whole body, was twitching.

Jaune, you have to calm down.

He also heard something, now that he thought of it. It resembled the voice of -, but it could not be true. It was only in his head.

( _let me out!_ )

You have to calm down. It was just a nightmare, but you're awake now, everything will be fine.

Jaune made his way to the surface. His lungs filled with oxygen again. The world regained the shape it should have, the one he had seen last night. The violent colors returned to their place, completing the image of what turned out to be people, not creatures. Aspiring hunters. Like him. He was

( _i'm not dead!_ )

destined to become one.

His face was warm. He had been crying, he was still crying, actually. His crooked, half-open mouth and strange posture told him that he had not only been screaming and twisting in dreams.

Ruby Rose was on top of him, hands on his shoulders. She had been trying to make him calm down all this time. She looked scared, but for once it wasn't because of him, it was for him. Her eyes were wide open. Her breathing agitated.

"Thank goodness," she murmured.

Jaune clutched to a side of her cloak and cried on her shoulder. He was still shaking, but the reason was very different. If she had previously surrendered to fear, now she surrendered to relief. To worship. If there was anyone in this world who could save him from himself, it was her.

Ruby hugged him tightly. He could not see the expression he had in the meantime. For a moment he wished to do so.

He heard the mocking and laughing, no doubt she did too. However, they both turned a blind eye to that.

* * *

"I am sorry," Jaune apologized again, walking with her and her sister to the lockers to collect their weapons. "I know you don't like to be the center of attention, but this is the second time I've pushed you there."

Ruby still had red cheeks. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't apologize. What kind of friend would I be if I had let you suffer alone?"

The gears in her brain stopped abruptly, clumsily.

"Are you serious? Do you consider me your friend?"

"Of course I do. Why shouldn't I? Unless you don't want me to be, of course. That you'd rather forget about me. I'd understand."

"...No, no, no, no, no. Of course I want to! That's great."

He couldn't believe it had been that easy, after worrying about it so badly and for so long.

Yang looked at her sister, winked at her. Ruby became even redder. It could get to the point where she would get confused with her cape, where no one would notice if her hood was on or off.

It was really worrying. Something was going on here.

They stopped suddenly.

"Well, I suppose this is where we split up," Jaune said. "My locker is a little further up the road. See you later.

"Wait," said Ruby, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt.

"What's the matter?

"I know what it feels like to have such horrible nightmares. I had them for years, they wouldn't let me sleep. So, you know, if you ever want to talk about it, or just vent to someone, you can always count on me."

It was very kind of her, but how could she possibly tell her the truth? If he did, she wouldn't look at him with kind eyes again. No one could be so kind-hearted. Not even her.

"Jaune?"

"It's nothing. I think... I think it's inevitable that I'll tell someone. And if I'm going to do it, it should be to you." He smiled. "My first and only friend."

"Hey, what I am, chopped liver?" Yang protested. "As far as I'm concerned, my sister's friends are also my friends."

"That's right," added Ruby. "She takes that very seriously."

He nodded. Anyone Ruby got along with was a person worth knowing, so he had no problem accepting that.

"Thank you. Well, I have to go."

"See you later, Jaune," said Ruby, cheerful and friendly as always.

"Yes, good-bye, Sir Juan."

"It's Jaune," he corrected her as he left. Without turning around. He didn't understand why she had felt the need to refer to him as sir, so he didn't comment on that.

He speculated that it was because he wore armor like that of an ancient knight. In fact, that's what it was. So in a sense it was an appropriate title for him. He would accept it. As long as I didn't call him Juan again. He didn't like the sound of that name.

* * *

On the way to pick up his sword, he found a pleasant surprise and an unpleasant one right next to the other. Pyrrha Nikos, the famous champion. And Weiss Schnee, better known as Snow White. And the icing on the cake? His locker was between those two.

 _Maybe I'm cursed_ , he thought, and he wasn't entirely joking.

Anyway. Onward and to the Ursa. Was that how they say it?

"...I'm sure anyone would like to join someone as strong and popular as you," he heard Weiss and couldn't believe that he ever thought she had a beautiful voice, even if only for a second. Ruby's was the real beauty, all the others paled before hers.

"I thought I should let the chips fall where they might," answered Pyrrha. Not a hint of irritation appeared on her face. He assumed he had practice with that, being who he was.

"Humm? Does that mean you know how teams will be assigned?"

"Not for sure. But I have my suspicions that it will be random. To a certain extent."

"That... that would be horrible."

Jaune silently moved between them. He inserted the key into the hole in the locker, turned it, opened it. There was his shield and his sword. Right where he had left them. He let out a sigh of relief.

They were known collectively as Crocea Mors, but he had no attachment to that name. What family heirloom? It was nothing more than a tool for killing.

"Hello again, Jaune."

He tied the sheath to his hip. He did not put the sword in, however, but lifted it high, holding it with both hands.

"A nice sword, don't you think? It's a family heirloom. It can cut anything, I can tell you that. Wood, steel, metal... " He stared intently at Weiss's neck. "Or skin. Just to give an example."

Weiss's expression became darker, but it was obvious that she didn't feel like fighting.

"You don't have to mess with me," her voice was shaky. "I understand, okay? I won't bother that girl again. Or you. And I hope you'll give me the same courtesy."

Okay, he was wrong. She still had some guts left.

"Don't doubt it," Jaune said, sheathing his sword. "I hope this is the last time our paths cross."

"Same to you."

Weiss turned on her heel, elegant as a dancer. And she walked away, clenching her fists in a poor attempt to contain her anger.

"I should just thank you," said Pyrrha, "but what happened there? What have you got against her?"

"I caught her assaulting a person I care deeply about," he replied simply. He had decided to be nicer to her because it was convenient, but that didn't mean he had to explain everything to her.

"That girl in red. What was her name... Ruby?"

She had found out. Of course, everyone had seen him break down and in front of who he had done it. And if not the first time, he was sure that on the second time everyone had been present and awake.

"Yes," he admitted.

"You must be very close. I know it's bad on my part, but I envy you for it."

Jaune refused to answer, to ask the question she wanted him to ask.

"Even so," said Pyrrha, "you didn't have to resort to violence. I didn't want to join her because of her attitude, but I don't think she's weak. She will probably pass the initiation test and become our companion as a hunter. We're all in this together, even her. We don't have to get along, but we should at least be civil."

He closed the lid of the locker abruptly.

"Pyrrha, no offense... But I don't remember asking for your opinion. I will handle her and people like her as I see fit." Although surprised, for some strange reason she seemed pleased with his brusque reply. Maybe it would be better to stay away from her, and keep her away from Ruby, after all. She was a very strange person. Not to mention she made him uncomfortable. Ruby was a normal person, and she had reacted to what he did to Weiss with fear, at least at first. Pyrrha, however, acted as if she hadn't seen him threaten to kill Weiss.

Before he met Ruby, that wouldn't have seemed strange to him. In the outside world, beyond the shared fantasy that could only survive within the walls of the kingdom's, human life had very little value. But now he could clearly see there was something wrong with her reaction. And it... worried maybe was too strong of a word, but he didn't like it.

It made him feel less human.

For some reason. He didn't even understand himself half the time.

"And I don't think she shares your opinion," he continued. "Good luck, Pyrrha. And goodbye."

Now that he was thinking about it, when they met she had been wearing her armor, hadn't she? Instead of the school uniform, like the rest of them.

What did that meant?

"May it follow you too," she replied. And watched him leave.

* * *

He retraced his steps. To Ruby, his savior. They had been talking about something, but they became silent as soon as they saw him approach. Jaune regretted not hiding to hear the conversation. If it turned out to be important... But it was too late to regret it.

He forced himself to smile. Hopefully it seemed natural, but he lacked practice, so he could not trust himself on that.

"So... Are you both ready?"

"Please." Yang snorted. "I was born ready."

"To kill Grimm?" Ruby said. "Yes, of course. To meet new people? Not at all."

"Don't worry," he replied. "I'll do what I can to ensure we end up on the same team. Then at least you'll have me by your side."

Ruby turned red. Okay, now he was convinced that something was going on. Was she sick? He approached her and put his hand on her forehead.

"Wh-what are you...?"

"Give me a second." She didn't have a fever. He looked at her from top to bottom. He decided to be a little more direct. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I'm fine. Why do you say that?"

"Well, you've been getting red too often. And you're worrying me. If you're sick, I'm sure the headmaster will give you another test as soon as you get better. You don't have to force yourself."

"No, no." She moved took his hand from his forehead and raised her hood over her head. "Seriously, I'm fine. Don't worry."

She wasn't very convincing with her cheeks burning even more intensely than before, but he let it go and nodded affectionately. If she wanted to face the initiation test when she was ill, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Anyway, it was admirable. Just what he expected of her.

Yang was struggling to contain her laughter, who knows why. Was Ruby the only sane person he had met in Beacon? This was getting ridiculous.

"If you're sure. Come on, then. It would be unpleasant to be punished or even expelled for not arriving on time."

Ruby nodded several times in a row. So quickly that his hood fell off and he had to tighten it again.

* * *

Jaune waited, standing on his assigned platform.

Ozpin was speaking, but he ignored his words. He had already heard everything he needed to know. The test would be in the Emerald Forest, teams of two were formed on the basis of first visual contact, in the middle of the trees there was a temple with relics and they had to retrieve them. That was surely how the teams would be completed.

As he had thought, it would be no problem for him. In fact, it would be almost relaxing.

He looked around, scanning the faces and bodies of those who might become his companions. Had any of them gone hunting in the land of the Grimm, with no one to depend upon, nobody that would save from their inexperience at the last moment? He doubted it. But he had done it, for him it had been a daily experience. He had been born again in

( _let me out!_ )

that dirty darkness.

He looked at his hands. He moved them, squeezed them, cracked his knuckles. Yes. In comparison, this would be child's play.

He raised his head.

Ruby stood right beside him. She seemed worried, probably about the assignment of the teams. It crossed her mind that maybe she was thinking about him, his nightmares. That thought, at the same time, filled his chest with hope and a warm feeling that he could not identify and plunged him into absolute misery. The last thing he wanted was for her to suffer because of him.

He grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it tightly.

Ruby looked at him. Surprised.

He gave her a soft smile. And a firm nod. When he let go of her hand, she stood straighter. That made him smile.

The message he wanted to convey was simple. I am here for you. I will find you.

He heard the activation of the first of the platforms; saw how the student in question flew through the air. He took a deep breath, prepared for the launch. He really didn't like heights.

Within a minute, there was very little time left for his turn. A second after Ruby took to the air, wielding her personal weapon, a scythe, it finally arrived.

Shamefully, he was unable to suppress a scream.


	3. Chapter One - III

**Beta reader:** Actualize (a member of the SpaceBattles forums)

He felt something pierce the skin of his neck, something... like the beak of a Nevermore, maybe. The pain felt so real, even though it could be nothing more than an illusion, that it almost caused him to lose his grip on his sword.

Almost.

He knew he was prepared for this; he had all the skills and experience necessary, but all those experiences seemed to slip out of his mind and disappear.

Suddenly, he was no longer Jaune the Hunter, but nothing more than a child falling from the sky.

 _Just like before._

No. No, no, no, no more.

Just barely, he managed to block the memory that was about to leap to the surface of his mind. The memory in which

 _a cascade of blood falling on him, defiling his soul._

he lost everything. _Almost_ everything.

He felt something tear his hood, and this time it was definitely not an illusion. The world circled around him two times. He was vaguely aware that his trajectory had changed, but he was more focused on nausea, on the howl of the wind in his ears, on the feeling that everything in him was collapsing like a house made of glass.

He was so scared and nobody was there to help him. There was no hand to tightly grasp. Could it be true? Could it be happening again?

Even through the mist of fear clouding his mind, he realized he was descending.  
Shortly after, his back hit the trunk of a tree and his body shook back and forth as if he were a jack-in-the-box.

Silence. The only sounds he heard were the murmur of the wind between the trees and his own breathing.

With his eyes narrowed, burning for some reason, he looked up.

A spear stuck in the wood, not a Nevermore or some other creature of Grimm.

That was all, his fearsome enemy. How humiliating.

Thankfully no one had seen him. No... that was not entirely true. Ozpin and the faculty must have been watching the students through cameras. It was very unlikely that they would not have witnessed his... relapse.

He ripped the lance from the wood with one hand, and threw it aside.

He fell on his ass, like some kind of rookie.

He tried to stand up and succeeded, but barely. He felt like an unstuffed straw doll. No, better not beat around the bush, better not continue lying to others and to himself: like he didn't have a _soul_.

He felt tears slide down his cheeks, and this time he did nothing to stop them. He could not.

He trembled pathetically, like a small child. At some point his knees failed him.

He tried to control his breathing without much success.

He tore out pieces of earth with both hands as if the ground were the inside of his skull, as if it were his memories, as if he could pluck them out, abandon them, _bury_ them forever.

Useless. Everything was useless.

How could anyone escape from themselves?

( _you have to promise me that..._ )

He put both hands on his head, squeezed hard. Yes. That was all that mattered.

The promise. His oath.

He rose to his feet, though with effort. And to avoid falling, he had to lean on the tree with one hand.

Without realizing it, his gaze fell back on the spear that had brought him here.

That was Pyrrha's weapon. No doubt.

He had never seen her in person, but last night, while investigating the girl, he had found several images of the weapon and a few videos of Pyrrha's fights. That's why he was so sure. A weapon like hers was unmistakable, and even more so because of how she used it.

She had to have done it on purpose. That was unquestionable. But why?

Not only did she seem indifferent when he threatened to kill Weiss, unlike Ruby, but now she wanted him to be her partner. What was going through that girl's mind? She must be crazy.

 _Just like you._

Jaune grimaced.

His thoughts were intrusive, sharp as broken glass. It was better for him to avoid them, to concentrate on what he had to do, step by step. Otherwise he would be lost.

If he stayed here much longer, that girl would find him. He walked in a random direction, with his mind blank. His body felt heavy and did not respond properly, as if it belonged to someone else.

No one knew where the soul was kept. So who could assure him that his soul was still inside his body?

A branch grazed his cheek, and he was surprised to find that he was bleeding.

He had lowered more than his guard.

He stopped, took a deep breath, and concentrated on erecting his aura around himself again; making sure that it did not collapse easily.

"The soul... " he murmured as if there was someone listening to him.

He carried on.

As soon as he came out of the undergrowth, he found what he feared most.

Pyrrha looked happy. Her eyes were wide, her smile was even wider. She looked as if his arrival had filled a hole inside her. Yeah, there was no reason for her to be happy, but she was, no doubt about it. Or at least she was good at pretending to be. His reaction was just as predictable, but he tried hard not to let it show on his face. _She is a valuable ally_ , he told himself, not entirely convinced that it made putting up with her worthwhile.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

He didn't know what to think of her, what was true and what was a lie. As was natural, for he did not know her, but…

 _But what? What?_

He found it hard to believe that her sadness, like she was going to start crying at any moment, was not genuine.

"You're angry, aren't you?" Pyrrha asked.

 _What a question._

"No, I'm not. Just surprised. But in a good way. Looks like we're partners now. But let's stop and talk when we're done with this, okay?"

He started moving again immediately, without giving any explanations or orders. He had the feeling that if he looked at her face one more second he would do something that both of them would regret.

"Jaune, wait..."

She grabbed him by the shoulder.

Jaune pushed her away, snarling like a cornered animal.

"Don't touch me!"

Pyrrha backed away. She looked frightened, even _hurt_. He couldn't understand the reason. She raised her hands up in a placating gesture.

"I'm sorry. Let me explain. You seemed... you seem like the only person in Beacon willing to see me as I am. I promise you that I will be a good partner. I will make it up to you."

She had opened an old wound at the worst possible time. He couldn't think clearly, and even less because he was concentrating most of his efforts on suppressing memories that he wished he could forget forever.

"Jaune?"

He knew it, but it wasn't so easy to pull back. Yes, he knew he was broken, damaged, soiled. That he was not a normal person.

"Jaune? Are you all right?"

He looked away.

Because of shame. Or something close to fear.

He felt less human. And there was nothing strange about that, because after all he wasn't entirely human, but it affected him in ways he couldn't describe.

He assumed that was because he still had hope, deep down.

"No. I'm not all right." His mouth was dry. "But you don't really care about that."

 _Fuck._

Pyrrha cowered as if he had hit her.

"That's not true. Jaune, I..."

But she couldn't even find the words to justify herself.

 _Bullshit. You're going to pay for this._

"You say people put you on a pedestal. That you want to feel like a normal person again and live a normal life. That's bullshit. You're not willing to get off the pedestal, to get rid of the typical attitude of a person who's used to getting what they want. For you... For you we are all extras in the play of your life, aren't we?"

Pyrrha's eyes shone with tears.

"Don't look at me with those eyes! You don't have to cry, because this time you're going to get away with it too. As long as I end up next to Ruby, I don't care about the details. I can accept that."

"I'm sorry. I... I didn't want to, I didn't think that..."

"Save your excuses. I'm not interested." He took a breath. He noticed there was a knot in his throat. "Follow me, and try to keep up."

Fortunately, she didn't insist. Maybe because she had realized that there was nothing she could say to change his mind or that he was right about. He didn't know and didn't care much about it, either.

* * *

Ruby was running through the trees like a red comet. After her, as always, a trail of rose petals marked her path.

Few Grimm had the speed to catch her when she used her Semblance, which was perfect, because she didn't want to waste time fighting. She had more important matters to attend to, like making sure her stay in Beacon wasn't ruined by ending up paired with a complete stranger.

They were sisters after all, but teaming up with Jaune wouldn't be bad wasn't a bad person, despite the first impression he had given her. Though she could not relax at all when she was near him. Maybe that was what they called "butterflies in the stomach".

She couldn't know. She had never felt this way before.

She stopped suddenly.

What was love, anyway? What was the difference between loving your parents and loving a boy? Where was the boundary line? Sex? She liked Jaune, but she wasn't sure she wanted to do that kind of thing with him. Or with anyone, for that matter.

Ruby shook her head vigorously, like Zwei after someone finally managed to bathe him.

That didn't matter. Not at this moment.

She was in the Emerald Forest in Beacon, in the middle of the initiation test.  
No matter how much she trusted her abilities, it was not good to get lost in her thoughts and drop her guard. Lack of attention could be costly to anyone. Even her.

She thought she had heard... Yes, there, a growl among the trees. She was under no illusions that it was an ordinary animal. She recognized the tone, the volume, the various qualities of its voice. And she would not mistake it for anything in the world.

It was an Ursa.

Several, she corrected herself. And in the next few seconds she realized that there were even some Beowolves among them.

She took out Crescent Rose and unfolded the weapon, holding her with both hands. Why was she getting nervous?

She was good. Very good.

Not as much as she could have been, she had to admit it, as her father had refused to let her go hunting with him or her uncle until later than usual. But although she was perhaps being a bit arrogant, she would bet that very few of the candidates had as much real experience as she did.

But she already knew why.

She wasn't focused, in the right state of mind. Life and death battles were not unusual for her, but these strange feelings Jaune had provoked were.

So it was normal for her to be a little distracted.

But now she had to concentrate. She couldn't waste time, but she had let the situation progress to the point she probably wouldn't be able to evade them all and escape even with her incredible speed. She would have to fight to avoid taking unnecessary risks.

In any case, this was her job.

It was what she lived for.

 _For you, mom_ , she said to herself. She stabilized the grip of her Crescent Rose. _For you._

The Grimm came out of the forest, surrounding her. She judged without stopping to count that there were more than a dozen of them, grunting and howling wildly. Their eyes shone with rage, with a desire to kill. The red flashes they gave off were like blood streaming from a wound.

Ruby waited no longer. She attacked.

* * *

They made their way through the woods.

Pyrrha proved to be agile and perfectly capable of keeping up with him, at least after they recovered her spear. They had lost about ten minutes on it, but had already made up for the delay. So he was satisfied, more or less. Also, she hadn't spoken since they had set out, and that was good. He had a headache and he had not yet managed to control his breathing completely, so he did not need her to make things harder for him.

They had not yet encountered a Grimm, somehow, even though Pyrrha had to be emitting a lot of negative energy.

 _Perhaps_

He didn't care about this. Unlike many of the candidates, who in the end were nothing more than children, he had nothing to prove. So he should stop thinking about it, it didn't make sense.

 _Do you feel guilty?_

Jaune grimaced.

He was not normal, and so he was not able to understand normal people, neither their happiness nor their sadness. He existed because of and for Ruby, so he had to be happy when she was happy. And if something bad happened to her, his duty was to wipe that mistake off the face of the earth.

Pyrrha was not necessary for his mission, so he did not have to worry about her. And even if he cared... even if he cared, what could he say or do?

Nothing. Of course.

It was better to remain silent.

"Jaune... Before, you looked at me as if you were frightened." She pursued her lips. "Why did you...?"

"I'm not afraid of anything, but... what you did with the spear awakened bad memories. And don't ask me any more questions. Even you should know that there is a limit."

Pyrrha sighed heavily.

"I'm really sorry."

"I know," he said slowly and after a while. Because he judged it to be true.

* * *

The temple they had to find turned out to be ruins. The dust and debris spoke of a world they had never known. For a moment, he wondered what would remain of his world a hundred or a thousand years in the future. But it was an absurd question for someone who was not even truly alive. That had neither past nor future.

On small platforms placed in a circle lay the relics: simple chess pieces.

Two of them were missing. Which had to mean that two pairs had passed through here.

Jaune bit his lip.

At this point, he could only hope that neither pair included Ruby. He had hoped with all his heart to meet her along the way, but thinking about it, it was quite unlikely in a forest of this size.

He sat down on the stairs.

Ozpin had not mentioned anything about a time limit, he was certain of that, so he could afford to wait.

"That girl, Ruby... Are you in love with her?"

"What?"

"I just wanted... to wish you luck." She no longer avoided his gaze. She had recovered quite quickly from the shock, although not completely.

"Love? Don't compare the way I feel about Ruby with something as vulgar as love. I don't want to kiss her, touch her, take her to bed, or anything like that. She is..." He clenched and opened his fists, frustrated with himself. "It's something more than that. Something more."

"You're here for some reason, aren't you? Because you can't imagine doing something else?

"Yes," she admitted, "I don't want to fight, but fighting is the only thing I'm good at. So I thought I would find myself among people like me."

Jaune nodded absently.

"I'm here for Ruby. Everything I do and say is for her sake. If I keep breathing, it's because of her too."

Pyrrha's expression changed, but he could not name what he was seeing on her face.

"What do you mean by that?"

He stood up, then ran a hand through his hair unnecessarily.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. Don't say a word to Ruby."

"Whatever your opinion of me," Pyrrha replied, "you are my partner, and always will be. I would not betray your trust."

Jaune looked around. Silence, shadows dancing and twisting within the forest. Suddenly he was struck by the powerful feeling that he should be anywhere but here, but he had no home to return to. What use would it be to run away?

Going from nothing to nothing.

"Great," he muttered. Even he realized that there was something strange on his tone. But he didn't know the reason.


	4. Chapter One - IV

**Beta reader:** Actualize (a member of the SpaceBattles forums)

In the end, he didn't have to wait long for Ruby to show up. She arrived from the treeline, and beside her came a tall girl, dressed in black and white and with a strangely shaped bow on her head. For a second he swore that it had moved against the wind.

He must have been more tired than he thought.

Ruby's face lit up at the sight of him and... disappeared completely? He recoiled as she abruptly appeared right in front of him. How...? Rose petals scattered over the ground she had crossed, drifting slowly to land on the grass below. People couldn't move at that speed, no matter how much help they had from their aura. She must have used her semblance.

"Jaune! I'm so happy you made it! And..." She disappeared again and reappeared right in front of Pyrrha, in a thoughtful pose. "I think I've seen you somewhere, but I can't remember. Well, it doesn't matter! " She went back to him, using her semblance, of course, and gave him a big hug. "I was afraid that something had happened to you!"

"Have a little more faith in me," he told her as he grinned. "Even if it doesn't look like it, I'm a knight."

Ruby laughed softly against his chest. She separated from him much more slowly than she had hugged him.

"Yes, you are. My sincerest apologies." She opened her eyes wide and flapped her eyelashes. Perhaps she was imitating something she had seen her sister do? "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course. To forgive a lady's transgressions is also natural for a knight."

Ruby couldn't go on with their little performance. She folded, giving a surprisingly high-pitched laughter that was still quite pleasant to behold. Then she made a face as if she had remembered something before blushing and looking away.

Jaune grimaced. Okay, now it was undeniable that something was wrong with her. He would keep an eye on her.

Well, he had been planning to do that anyway.

"Well? How did it go?" she asked, referring to the trip through the forest.

"I haven't had a chance to show off," he admitted. "We haven't come across a single Grimm. And the way things are progressing, it looks like I'm not going to. All we have to do now is head back to the cliff."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It must be... disappointing?"

"To be honest? I don't care. Getting into the academy is enough for me."

"Ruby," the other girl said as she finally arrived at the group after having been left behind when Ruby used her semblance. "I understand that you want to catch up, but this is neither the time nor the place to start a discussion."

Jaune glared at her. She was right, but that didn't meant he had to like hearing it.

"True. I'm sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your partner?"

"Blake Belladonna," she replied succinctly. "And your companion is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Oh! She's..." said Ruby with a frown. "...No, actually I'm still not sure where I've heard her name."

Blake entered the temple, looked around. She finally picked up a white knight piece. Jaune took the other and put it in his pocket. That did not go unnoticed by the girl, but she made no comment. Good.

The earth shook under his feet.

At first he thought he had imagined it. He hadn't.

"Ruby," Jaune called her.

"What?"

"Get ready. Something's coming."

That something turned up to be a Death Stalker, which burst into the clearing, almost tearing two trees from the ground to make way. Almost as if it had been following the other creature, a Nevermore appeared shortly after with a frightful squawk, flexing his wings.

His streak of good luck had ended quickly and violently, just as it usually did.

"Okay," Ruby started saying. "How about we run?" Seeing no one disagree, she added, "Great! Let's go!"

Jaune turned his head to look at Ruby, surprised.

Run from this? From a simple Death Stalker and a Nevermore?

He had killed many Death Stalkers before, and this would be no different. He would slay it with his sword like so many others. Also...

Also, he had fought more than half of his life for Ruby, so that she could keep smiling no matter what. Now was the perfect time to show her the results of all his effort and sacrifices. He stepped forward and drew the sword, holding it with both hands. The shield remained where it was.

They said the best defense was a good offense. He believed it too.

At least when one fought the Grimm. That did not necessarily apply to human opponents.

He threw himself at the beast, fast as lightning. A few inches from it, he stopped suddenly and spun in a quick, intense pirouette, narrowly avoiding the creature's claws and darting to its side. Its movements were clumsy, too slow. Either it hadn't been long since its 'birth' or it was already wounded. But did it matter?

He took the opportunity to cut off a pair of its legs using the momentum of his spin, and the creature lost its balance, falling sideways to the ground. The ground shook beneath their feet due to its immense size. Before it could recover, he leaped over the pincer that was now resting against the ground, and stabbed his weapon through one of its eyes and into the center of its head, where its brain would be if it was a normal animal.

Although the Grimm lacked normal biology, their weak points still adhered to logic. The head, the heart, the stomach.

The creature roared in pain, or perhaps rage, and lashed out with its pincers and its stingers with the sole idea of trying to kill him, or at least hurt him, forcing him to dodge as the poisoned stinger slammed home in the spot he'd been standing mere instants before. As if to compete with it, Jaune forced the sword deeper into its head as he let out a hoarse, malignant scream, full of disgust and rage. As if he were vomiting his soul.

When it finally died, he rested a boot on his head and pulled the sword out with all his might, but it was lodged in place.

Before he could try yanking it out a second time, he saw a shower of feathers falling towards him. Someone shouted a warning, but by then he was already on the move. He gave up his efforts, took out the shield, kneeled on the ground and unfolded it until it reached its full size just in time to block a feather that would've made a direct hit. The feather clanged against the thick metal, but the shield held.

When the bombing ended, Jaune rose to his feet. Silently, and without looking away from the Nevermore, he finished pulling out his sword with one hand, the Death Stalker's corpse having decayed enough for it to be freed.

The terrain did not favor him. They were in an open field, so the creature would always have him in its field of vision. In addition, he lacked long-distance weaponry, so he could only wait for the Nevermore to pounce on him to be able to attack the creature. He deemed that unlikely in the current circumstances.

His reasoning was simple.

The Nevermore had watched his brief battle with the Death Stalker even though they could have attacked together, so that it could observe his abilities without endangering itself. This was a clear sign of advanced intelligence. In addition, the creature was accustomed to making human beings who were capable of defending themselves its prey.

In other words, he could not expect it to commit the typical imprudence of an animal that did not know and could not understand what it was up against.

It was time to retreat.

He turned his back, and ran.

He realized that the glances of others were fixed on him, and stopped suddenly. In fact, he had so far forgotten that he was not alone. He was not accustomed to having someone watch his back, much less three people.

"Wow, Jaune... that, that was awesome," Ruby said. Her cheeks were a little red.

"No. It's just my duty."

The Nevermore squawked and lunged at them like a bullet, giving them all the motivation they needed to get the hell out of there.

While wondering whether it would be best to run to the cliff, despite everything, or stay and fight, Jaune took a moment to glance at his phone to measure his aura.

It was still at 100%. As it should be, for he had not yet received a blow.

Of course. As long as he remained in control, he had nothing to worry about.

He slipped the phone away as the trees ahead began to thin, revealing a ruined structure built around the side of the cliff. A stone bridge crossed a deep, vast ravine, beyond which a stone building was set into the cliff face. It must've been the way back up to the top. A massive pillar stretched up from the center of the ravine, supporting the bridge, and on a couple offshoot bridges that lead to nowhere, several pillars stood in various states of decay. Those pillars would put him in a position to reach the Nevermore, if he acted at the right time. On the other hand, if he took too long to do so or the opportunity did not present itself, the beast could corner and kill them. He was well aware of the risks involved in taking a position in such a place, which seemed about to collapse even without the help of a giant creature.

It may not have been the best option, but it seemed that no one was going to offer an alternative, so he would settle for that.

The Nevermore lunged again.

Not towards them, but towards the bridge they were crossing. In response, they could do nothing but increase the speed. And hope it was enough.

It wasn't.

The ground shook beneath their feet as the enormous creature split the bridge in two, and at the same time divided the group, though not perfectly. While the three girls had managed to cross, being swifter with their lighter equipment than his own armor, sword, and shield, he was stuck on the forest side of the bridge. Barely, he skidded to a stop a moment before he would've fallen down into the dark pit below, and he had a sudden vision of his body being splattered as it hit the ground, his brain and organs scattered everywhere like food arranged for a hellish feast.

His courage almost failed him.

The break in the bridge was wide, but he needed to get across. He could see Ruby waiting on the other side, and he had no way of helping from here. He tossed his shield to the other side because he couldn't waste time putting it on his back, and on the other side, Pyrrha managed to catch it. Without wasting a moment, he jumped. For a moment he thought he was going to fail, the gap being just slightly too wide, but he managed to pierce the sword into the broken edge of the bridge, managing to avoid falling into the deep ravine below... But then the bridge began to crumble further, cracks widening around his sword simultaneously with his eyes.

His legs swayed in the air, they found nothing to lean on. He was going to fall and die. That nightmarish vision he'd had, it was coming true.

He heard raised voices above the bridge, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

The depths of the ravine seemed to spin when he glanced down, and hurriedly, he looked back up to see those beautiful bright silver eyes looking earnestly upon him.

Suddenly, something wrapped around one of his ankles.

It was a thin black ribbon, dagger on his end hooking onto his greaves and on the other end tied to something out of sight above the bridge. Before he could react, it retracted, dragging him up with it despite its flimsy appearance.

In the process, his head slammed against the bridge side and it hurt more than he expected, almost making him drop his blade. It hurt more than normal. His aura...

It was still on, but it was fragile. Not because of the blow. Because of the fear, the loss of control.

"Thank you, Blake!" Ruby said as he landed upon the bridge, worried expression fading.

The girl with the ribbon had saved his neck, that was clear. The ribbon that wrapped around his ankle, it had come out of her weapon, and he saw how it returned to her. Her expression was cold, empty, like that of a porcelain doll. It didn't make sense... but he imagined that deep down she was making fun of him for acting this way.

Jaune rose. And he immediately threw himself aside to avoid another volley of feathers, which were driven deep into the stone of the bridge, crumbling it further as the group moved to the center, where it was more steady. The adult Nevermore found it difficult to maneuver because of their enormous size and all the weight that accompanied it. That's why she had managed to save him in time, and even then it had been a close thing.

He hurried to recover his shield, receiving it back from Pyrrha. Even without it he was not helpless, far from it, but...

 _A cascade of blood. A defiled soul._

Nothing. Nothing.

"Okay," said Ruby. "And now what can we...? Jaune, wait!"

He climbed to the top of one of the pillars at full speed, almost as if he were walking on the ground instead of climbing. Before that, of course, he had ascertained that it would serve his purposes.

"Ruby, break it!"

"What?"

"The pillar. Trust me."

Ruby didn't seem very convinced, but she split the pillar in two with her Crescent Rose. His half of the pillar began toppling into the void, only to be halted as it slammed into the side of the cliff. Almost immediately it cracked across the center, breaking in half and with both pieces falling into the darkness- but that was no longer his concern. As soon as the top of the pillar had slammed into the cliff face, he had leaped across, hands piercing into the sheer wall and forming handholds.

Finding more hand and footholds above him, he quickly began scaling the cliff, climbing high. What he planned to do would be a little complicated, but he had already done things like this before. He knew he would manage. And it was dangerous, but all the fear he had felt so far had turned into rage. To hell with waiting for that animal to come within reach. He was going to drag it to the ground with his own hands.

As he climbed, he kept the Nevermore in the corner of his eye at all times. It had stopped in the middle of the air, out of reach of the others, and now it was looking at him. Its eyes reflected a thirst for blood that went beyond what any animal was capable of.

It didn't stay that way for long, of course, as the others immediately took advantage of the opportunity to try to shot it out of the sky and was forced to maneuver in the air to avoid shots from three different directions.

When it went on the attack, it did so with a speed that was also unnatural, but to which he was accustomed. He had killed larger, fiercer creatures in all his years as a hunter. He was not going to allow fear to blind him.

Jaune remained in place, ignoring whatever was being shouted at him below.

Blood reverberated in his ears.

He was shaking, not out of fear, but out of excitement.

At the last moment, where the creature's wing swept the cliff above him aiming to cause a landslide and push him into the abyss, he leaped up and back, legs together and arms outstretched like the wings of an eagle, blade ready in one hand. For a moment, it seemed to him that was what he was doing: flying.

The wind howled, forcing him to squint, but he saw the Nevermore just above him. Its vast shape was impossible to miss. He switched Crocea Mors into a reverse grip, and as he reached the peak of his jump, he slammed the blade home into the beasts chest. For him, hunting had always been a duty, but as his sword pierced into its chest all the way to the hilt, his heart filled with a pleasure he had never felt before, a pleasure he believed himself incapable of since then. He felt his lips curve into a smile.

The Nevermore squawked in pain. Perhaps even out of fear, if the Grimm could feel fear.

It thrashed in pain, its wing slamming against the cliff side and his body being crushed between it and the Nevermore, but he held onto the sword lodged inside its body. Its blood, thick and black, dripped, ran down his face, his hands. One of the claws of the creature raked his stomach, but he didn't even feel it.

Jaune laughed stridently, half-crazed, if he had ever been sane, as if to make himself heard above the howl of the wind and the squawks of the creature dying above him.

Then they fell, and he found the blade slipping free from its chest.

He imagined his head exploding like a watermelon when it hit the ground. Even if that wouldn't happen, he did not believe that his aura would save him from such a fall.

He stretched out his arms. Trying to grab something, anything, as he parted ways from the Grimm that was falling into the ravine's depths.

He didn't want to die like this. Not so soon.

He felt arms around him, the warmth of a body. That made him open his eyes suddenly. Ruby... He didn't know how, but Ruby had caught him in the middle of the air and now they were falling together. She'd slammed into him, pushing them towards the platform. The edge of her Crescent Rose was near one of his eyes. He looked at her face as it appeared in the reflection of the metal, as if hypnotized.

His heart stopped.

Suddenly he forgot how to breathe properly.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. Her. She was the most beautiful. Even without his promise, what he saw in her eyes was clearly the greatest treasure in the world, and it surprised, frightened, and even hurt him a little that others apparently could not see what he saw.

Not just her name, everything about her was full of magic.

Eternity abruptly ended. They crashed down on one of the offshoot bridges covered in pillars, and his ankle snapped as they slid across the stone. It took him several seconds to realize that he had broken his ankle.

Shit.

His aura had collapsed without him noticing, and now he was practically unprotected. That he had not broken his broken neck was out of luck more than any other reason. He felt clumsy, slow, and stupid. As if he had gone back in time to that day.

That was not too far from the truth, in a way.

He stood up with Ruby, and had to stifle a grimace at the pain caused by putting some of his weight on that foot.

"Jaune, what's going on?"

It was Pyrrha, concern in her voice.

Ruby started, and examined him from top to bottom. And of course, she realized what had happened to him. Her expression darkened.

"Did you run out of aura?" she asked.

"No. But almost," he reluctantly admitted.

She put her hands on his shoulders. She seemed very worried.

"I'll carry you the rest of the way. Relax and rest, okay?"

He laughed unintentionally.

"What are you talking about? It's just a broken ankle. It will heal right away."

"Jaune... you're bleeding."

He looked at himself.

Oh. It was true.

He had a very large wound in his stomach, and the blood was dripping non-stop. He had even soiled Ruby's combat attire with it. That filled him with deep shame.

"I'm fine." His voice sounded strangely distant, as if he had spoken with his head tucked under the water.

But he felt no pain, even now. He could move on. Could...

 _(I am not dead!)_

He felt a strong wind on his back. As he turned around, he saw that the creature had returned. It was badly wounded; you could see that at first glance. It had even lost an eye at some point... But it was still alive. It had not broken its head against the rocks and disappeared into the darkness at the bottom of the cliff.

It let out a great cry, and this time there was no mistake; it was angry.

It lunged forward like a bullet, passed through the middle of them, spinning in the air, flapping its wings almost like they were swords. They threw themselves to the ground. Biting his lower lip, Jaune watched the creature shatter several of the pillars on the platform and continue as if it had been nothing. The nightmarish bird rose up into the air and spun as the debris flew around it, dark blood pouring from its chest and eye wounds.

He swallowed.

It was absurd, but it seemed unstoppable. As if even if he ripped its heart out with his own hands, it would find some way to continue. Yes, it just seemed that way. But it couldn't be true.

They got up again.

"Huh," Pyrrha muttered. "Does anyone have a good idea?"

"I expected you to have one," replied Ruby. "This is the part where you say it was a joke and you have the perfect solution, right?"

"I'm afraid not."

The Nevermore squawked again. Each time the sounds it made became more like screams, like a human voice.

Jaune stepped forward.

He stopped Ruby, who had taken aim at it with Crescent Rose's sniper rifle form, by grabbing her shoulder.

"That's enough," he muttered as if talking to himself.

He lifted Crocea Mors above his head with one hand and threw it.

The shot failed, but he hadn't intended for it to reach the target. As it passed by the Grimm, Jaune saw a hand appear from within the blade of his sword. From so far away, bathed in the sunlight, it probably seemed an optical illusion to the others, if they even noticed it. It was not. And that was proved immediately afterwards. The Nevermore fell into the abyss, this time truly and forever.

Of course. He shouldn't have expected otherwise.

"How did you do that?" Ruby asked in a low voice.

"My semblance," he lied to the person most important to him again.

He fell to his knees. He had been running on fumes for the last few minutes, and what he had just done, it used up the very last of his Aura. So now he had nothing left, his legs no longer had the strength to bear the weight of his body.

"Jaune. Jaune!"

Darkness. Nausea.

The heat of another person against his body. Heat, but not love. He didn't deserve anyone's love. He recognized it and could not change that fact. As much as it hurt.

Silver eyes. A red cape.

A pure face in the darkness, stained with blood. His blood.

Everything was spinning.

"I'm sorry, mommy." He began to weep with emotion. "I'm so sorry..."


	5. A blood-stained dream

Growing up, his parents had taught him the importance of getting along with people and learning to forget. Bury the hatchet.

However, there were things that could not be forgiven or forgotten.

Numb, as if it had nothing to do with him, Jaune watched as his father was cut in half right in front of him. Hearing his last scream, he saw his blood flying away in large quantities, and his organs being scattered on the ground.

Of course, he had come between him and the Grimm to protect him, so he ended up literally bathed in his father's entrails.

The blood was warm.

Only warm. And yet he felt that it was hot enough to burn his skin and leave him with only his bones.

If he had not vomited when the massacre began, seeing one of his sisters, whose name he had already forgotten, lying in the caravan like a broken doll, he would have done so then.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, he realized that he was above such things.

There was no sadness or fear in the eyes of his other self. If there was something there, then it could only be described by the word "inhuman."

Howls and screams all around him.

A cacophony. Total chaos.

 _I am dreaming_. That thought rose above all others, but not even with that did it manage to break the illusion in which he was trapped. He was just an impotent spectator.

Impotent. Again.

The fragments of the moon were scattered everywhere, but even its light could not make the blood-red snow look beautiful.

 **Run my son brother it hurts hurts it hurts it hurts help me**

 **Save me.**

His other self stirred desperately. His real one did, too, he was sure.

But what could he do?

He was so small, so fragile, and he couldn't even feel his legs. He had already seen what happened to small, fragile things between the teeth of a Grimm.

Red eyes flashed.

Hundreds of them, thousands. Everywhere. From all over. And they knew he was the last prey available.

He could hear them growling and howling.

He could feel the breath of each of those beasts, hot, overwhelming.

 _I don't want to die_ , he thought. An echo of a memory.

 **I AM NOT DEAD!**

It all ended in an instant. Or maybe it lasted longer, and he just didn't perceive it because he had shut down.

In any case, all of a sudden he saw the Grimm torn to shreds and disappearing. He noticed that black blood was not coming out of their wounds, but red roses that didn't not look real bloomed. And as they fell to the ground they formed a field of roses that would never wither, as if in that small piece of the world it would be summer for all eternity. He felt peace and warmth and security again, and someone's arms around him.

 _mama_

In the real world, his hands were opening and closing unconsciously.

 _I promise..._

 _I promise that..._

He opened his eyes.


	6. Chapter Two - I

**Chapter Two**

 _In which team RJBP is formed and the brave knight stops to smell the roses, while the storm clouds accumulate and grow on the horizon. Nobody knows when the downpour will fall, when the storm will make itself heard. Nor what will remain when they come to an end. Or what state it will be in._

 **I**

White ceiling, white walls. The hard feeling of the bed against his back. Memories came back to him like a boomerang. This had to be Beacon's infirmary, but he didn't feel safe, but as if he had been buried alive. He was having trouble breathing.

He owed that partly to the nightmare. But only in part.

There was someone by his side, arms resting on the bed and head between her arms.

When he noticed certain details, his heart accelerated, his vision went out of focus. For long moments he dared to think the unthinkable. However, the person raised her head, the hood falling with the movement, and shattered those hopes.

It was Ruby. Just Ruby.

She smiled. She was happy to see him, and that only made his heart hurt even more.

"You're awake!" She rubbed her eyes with her hands. "I'm sorry. I wanted to stay awake so, you know, you could see a friendly face when you woke up. But I didn't sleep very well last night and I'm still tired from what we did... Jaune, are you all right? Does anything hurt? "

"My head. But I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Ruby nodded quickly. She put the hood back on.

"I'm happy," she whispered. "Very happy. You scared the hell out of me. I really thought you were going to... you know. "

Her eyes shone with unspilled tears.

"I just used my Semblance, Ruby," he lied again without a second thought. He was becoming, or perhaps always had been, the kind of person he detested. "I've never heard of anyone dying because of that."

"I know. But you looked really bad. Pale... and the blood. You threw up a lot of blood. Which is normal, because you had a very deep wound. But that's not all. The nurse even had to share a little of her Aura in order to jumpstart yours. Does that always happen to you when you activate your Semblance?"

"No," he replied slowly and after a while, grateful because this time he didn't have to lie to her, although he would omit a few details. "That has nothing to do with it. The truth is..."

"What? We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me anything."

"I'm sick. My Aura just doesn't work the way it should. Before you say anything, no, I'm pretty sure there's no cure for that."

"It doesn't work the way it should... it's an unclear way of saying it."

"It means that even the passive protection that everyone who has their Aura unlocked receives requires effort for me. It means that, regardless of the level, with every blow I receive I risk it collapsing. For something... or someone to kill me."

Ruby seemed horrified. But not because she was afraid of him and neither because she considered him less than a human.

"Don't make that face. I understand it's been hard, but now I'm fine."

Ruby didn't break her silence.

Jaune reviewed the conversation, fearing that he had said something wrong, something that would have made her worry more than necessary. He was not good at this sort of thing, but reassuring Ruby was a task she couldn't give to anyone. And even if he could, he didn't trust anyone enough to do that.

"Jaune, I... You spoke when you were unconscious. Maybe I heard wrong, but I thought you were apologizing to your mother. Don't say anything. You don't have to. I just want you to know that I know how it feels. When I was little, so small that sometimes it's hard for me to remember, I lost my mom. That's an unavoidable risk in the life of any Hunter or Slayer. But at that time I didn't know anything about it. And my mom, Summer Rose, didn't die on a mission."

Ruby looked up from her lap and looked into his eyes as if she was searching for something in them. Did she find it, whatever it was?

"She was on leave," she continued in a tired voice. "To spend more time with her family. Everything was normal. On a day like any other, she left home to... I don't know, I can't remember. Hours later," she swallowed ", she was found dead in the snow. In the middle of nowhere."

Jaune forgot how to breathe properly.

He already knew everything she had just told him, of course, but that didn't make hearing it from her lips any easier. On the contrary.

"This cape," she moved her hand to the cross-shaped brooches that held it to her shoulders ", is handmade to be as exact a copy of my mother's cape as possible. Except for the color. I couldn't stand the idea. It's one of the few things I have to remember her with, apart from a few old photos and my own face. I wanted it to be a good memory. A memory of her strength and courage, not of..."

She began to cry silently. Her small shoulders trembled.

"Ruby..." He couldn't say anything else.

( _i'm so scared_ )

"You lost her, didn't you? Your mother, I mean. The pain I heard in your voice couldn't have been just because you argued with her before coming to Beacon. I'm not going to ask how, or why. But please," she took his hands in her, bringing them closer to her, to her chest, and squeezed them tightly, "talk to me, vent when you need it. I don't want you to suffer alone."

"I'm sorry," Jaune muttered.

"Why? You haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm sorry. I lied to you. I don't think I'll ever be able to tell anyone, not even you, the whole truth. Please forgive me. Forgive me for being so weak."

"That's normal. I thought so, too, a long time ago." She looked around a couple of times.

"Sorry to change the subject again, but I should call the nurse. Let her know you're awake."

"That won't be necessary," a strange voice said. He had to look that way in order to associate the voice with a face. Ozpin's.

Ruby jumped up.

"Professor... eh, director! That's what I meant. How are you doing?"

She waved at him.

"Good, Miss Rose. Good. You should take a deep breath. I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No, no. Of course."

"Of course," Jaune repeated. "But to what do I owe a personal visit from a man as busy as you? Because I'm sure you don't take the time to visit all the students who end up in the infirmary."

Ozpin looked at him. "You're wrong. Partially. That's exactly what I do, but it's not the only thing that brought me here."

"Let's hear it."

Ruby looked at him inquisitively. She took a step back, crossed her arms behind her back.

Ozpin dragged a chair to one side of his bed and sat down, resting the cane on the floor. His unfathomable eyes did not betray the emotions he hid deep inside.

"Weiss Schnee," he said. "According to her, you threatened to kill her with your sword not just once, but twice."

"That's not true, director," Ruby intervened. "She exaggerates. I was there the first time. Jaune did not draw the sword at any point, and he definitely didn't threaten her. It's true that he... was not very polite, but she didn't hold back either. Neither with him nor with me. Besides, students argue all the time. You can't expel him."

"Who said anything about expulsion? I just want to know all the details. Tell me, is what you're saying true?"

Ruby looked at Ozpin in the eye, and she didn't hesitate to lie again.

"Yes."

"That's good. I'm relieved. But..." He looked at him. "Even if you had done it the second time, I wouldn't have expelled you, Jaune Arc. Beacon is a home away from home for people of all kinds, species... or past. I understand why someone who has lived the life you must have lived would react that way in certain situations. Which brings me to the most important part, the real reason I'm here."

Jaune tensed as if preparing to take a hit. He knew what was coming.

"Are you really Jaune Arc?" Ozpin asked as if he was talking about something inconsequential.

Silence covered the room like a dusty old blanket.

He had dared to ask him that question, _that_ question. And in front of Ruby. How dare he? _I'll kill you. I swear I will kill you. Here and now._

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked.

"I'm surprised you don't know. The Arc family was sort of famous. Especially because of the heroic acts of Amadeus Arc —Jaune's great-great-grandfather— in the Great War.

"Was," she softly repeated.

"Yes, unfortunately they all died a decade ago. Killed By the Grimm. Jaune Arc's body never appeared, but we all thought him dead, even me. Until the day I saw his name and face among a stack of papers."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, director. I am Jaune Arc. The only Jaune Arc."

"If so, how did you survive the attack where Hunters as experienced as your parents and some of your sisters died? And perhaps most importantly, what have you been doing since then?"

Silence fell.

Ruby looked at him, bit his lower lip, and placed a hand on his. A demonstration of support that, although it was small, meant everything to him.

"You said that Beacon is a home for people of any kind of past. So, with all due respect, you have no right to dig into my wounds or demand anything of me. I'm sorry that you won't be relieved of desire to know the truth. But you can't get everything you want. The world doesn't work that way."

Ozpin let out a surprisingly honest and open laugh.

"No. You are right." He got up again. "I don't know where you come from or who you are, but I hope you find what you're looking for in this place. That's what this little beacon is for, after all. Or at least find someone to share your burden with. Good luck, Jaune Arc."

"Wait. Can I go now?"

"Oh, yes. That. The nurse said you could leave as soon as you woke up. You're all right, at least as far as she could see."

"I have... recurring nightmares. I need you to assign me another room."

"I'm afraid there aren't any extra rooms at the moment. This year, to my surprise, all the candidates have passed the initiation test."

"All right. I'll stay here as long as necessary, if it's not too much trouble.

"You'll have to ask the nurse that. Well, I'll leave you alone. This old man has got in your way enough."

Ruby blushes for some reason. She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"I think you should stay with me. With us."

It took him a few seconds to realize what he meant.

"I can't. You know I can't."

"It will be difficult sometimes. I know. But I don't want you to spend your nights alone, it's too sad. I know what that is like. The nightmares. The pain. That... emptiness that can't be filled. I can't stand the thought of letting you go through that alone. If I hadn't had Yang by my side, supporting me, I would have gone mad."

"I'm glad you think that way. But you're not the only member of the team, Ruby."

She bit her lower lip.

"Then... then I'll stay with you."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Your sister wouldn't like it, that's for sure. And it would mean dividing the team at the most important moment. Because Ozpin named you the team leader, right?"

Ruby jumped.

"How do you know that?"

"You're the best choice, only a fool would be incapable of noticing that. And I don't like Ozpin, but he hasn't survived until now and become the headmaster of Beacon because he's stupid."

"In any case, that doesn't make sense. I'm telling you I'll do that at night, not all day. I would spend time with Blake and Pyrrha anyway... You're just making excuses hoping one works, aren't you? I knew it! Would it be so bad?"

"No. It would be great, really. But... I'm afraid to say something I shouldn't in my dreams."

"I know the truth."

"Not all of it," he said, grief-stricken. "There are still things I can't tell you."

Ruby crossed her arms. "For example?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret."

Ruby sighed deeply.

 _I'm sorry. But I'm so scared._

She began kicking her legs, rubbing the bottom of the bed lightly with her boots.

"Jaune, I like you. You are my first friend in Beacon... and the first one who is not a hand-me-down from my sister. I appreciate you very much. But sometimes I wish you were a little easier to handle."

"I wish I could tell you everything. I dream of that day."

The day he could finally rest.

Ruby stared at him. There was something in her eyes that seemed to belong to some other person.

"Have we met before?"

He didn't panic. Actually, he had seen it coming. He had been too careless.

He did the only thing he could at this point. Nod.

"Really? I'm sorry, but I don't remember you."

"It's normal, you've never seen me before. But I... I knew of you. Let's leave it there. But really, I can't say anything else, don't force me to."

Ruby pursed her lips.

"Okay." She grabbed one of his hands and tightly squeezed. "Okay. I'm sorry. Don't cry."

"I'm not..."

But he was. He struggled to control himself. He wasn't strong, but he wanted to keep at least a shred of dignity in front of Ruby. The time when he could cry in his mother's arms and wait for her to solve his problems was long gone.

Tears were for children. For idiots who ended up devoured. For

( _broken dolls smeared with blood_ )

He covered his face with his hands. And he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Ruby whispered as she cradled him in her arms. Her voice sounded distant, as if it came from another room. "Please calm down. I didn't think... I just wanted to help."

He was shaking.

Like a child. He was just a child. Deep down, he had always known it. Known that his sword was made of plastic and his shield of glass.

( _i'm so scared_ )

* * *

"I'm sorry," Jaune muttered. He had managed to calm down, but he didn't dare to look at Ruby directly because of the shame burning inside of him.

"It's all right. Besides, you would have done the same for me, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but I'm not supposed to..."

"What?"

"To be so weak."

"Crying is not a weakness. Everyone needs to let off steam from time to time. No one, not even you, can be strong all the time. Don't be so hard on yourself."

He bowed his head.

"Look at me. Promise me, Jaune. Please. Do it for me."

"I promise I'll try."

Ruby gave him a beautiful smile. Gods, she was so beautiful, so... so pure. How could she look with those kind eyes at someone like him and not feel disgust and hatred?

"What more could I ask for? Well, yes. One more thing. Stand up." She extended her open hands towards him.

"Why?"

"You missed the first day, so I thought... you know, about taking a walk around the academy and showing you where everything is. Don't you think it's a great idea?"

"Anything's great if I do it with you."

Ruby laughed sweetly.

"Yes. We're friends after all, aren't we?"

The sliding door suddenly opened. Pyrrha Nikos and that other girl appeared. Blake, if he remembered well. Jaune frowned, stared at her intently. There was something strange about her that he couldn't put his finger on.

He realized it shortly after.

To him, she was 'the girl with the bow', but she didn't have a bow now.

Maybe that was the only reason for it, but now she seemed like a completely different person. And more subdued.

Ruby looked at him, then at Pyrrha and so on once more, curious, but chose not to comment on that brief exchange.

As they approached his bed, he noticed the faint smell of blood coming from the girl in black and became tense. He didn't think she was going to attack anyone, least of all now, but he couldn't suppress his instincts. In his old life, the smell of blood floating in the air marked the end of the battle. Or the beginning of something horrendous. Nothing else.

"You're just in time," said Ruby. "I was going to get this sleepy head out of bed and give him a tour around Beacon. It's time for the team to finally do something together."

Pyrrha blinked.

"Well, we killed the Nevermore only yesterday, didn't we?"

"Officially. You know what I mean. Come on, let's go, let's go."

Jaune smiled. He got out of bed.

He thought of Crocea Mors, about where his weapon would be stored. He thought of the weight missing from his waist and back. He had felt it almost constantly for a decade, so it was as if he had lost two extra limbs. But it felt good. He didn't care.

* * *

Ruby went quiet, let the others get a little ahead of her.

She needed time to process, or at least try to process, and think about what Jaune and Ozpin had told her in the infirmary. More importantly, about what they had omitted.

In many ways, Jaune was no much of a mystery. He showed his feelings openly, as did she... Or so she had believed at first. But now she was beginning to think that even that first assumption was misguided. With her it was certainly like that, but now, speaking with Blake and Pyrrha, the boy's expression was as if carved from marble. It did not change a bit. There was not a trace of the warmth and kindness she could see when he looked at her.

It made her think.

For example, what if those normal feelings were nothing more than a reflection of her own? She didn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. But it was a possibility.

Yang had told her that Jaune had fallen in love with her. Ruby believed it as well, but she was not so innocent as to think that was all. He was hiding something big, something she could not discover because she simply did not have enough information. No matter how hard she tried, she would always hit that wall.

An arm slid around his shoulders.

Ruby flinched. If it wasn't for the fact that she saw from the corner of her eye that it was her older sister, she would have activated her Semblance and bolted out of there. Yang was noisy and always ready for a fight, but apparently she could go unnoticed when she wanted to.

Either that or she had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed.

"You scared the hell out of me."

"Is something wrong with Jaune? Normally I would not have been able to get so close without you noticing."

"He's fine; otherwise they wouldn't have let him leave. It's just... Can I ask you a favor?"

"Come on, don't talk like that." She patted her on the back. "I'm your older sister. Whatever you want, I'll be sure to give to you, if I can."

"Your partner, Weiss Schnee..."

"Ah, her. We've already had... a very enlightening conversation about the way she behaves. So don't worry, she won't bother you anymore."

"That's not it. Let me finish. I want you to ask her to use her resources to thoroughly investigate Jaune's past."

"Why?"

"I've heard a few new things about him."

"And you're not going to tell me what, are you? I know you too well to think I can change your mind. You've inherited dad's stubbornness."

"Look who's talking."

Yang smiled. "Yes, but I'll sit on the sidelines for as long as you want on this."

"Why can't I believe it?"

"Because you're a suspicious person." She stuck out her tongue. "Don't get me wrong. I won't take my eyes off you and Jaune. Especially him. But I will let you make your own decisions. I know I can be a little overprotective sometimes, but I don't want you to feel suffocated or disparaged."

Ruby doubted that she could stay in the sidelines, no matter what she said, but she appreciated the feelings behind her words. Especially at a time like this. She hadn't expected Ozpin to name her team leader. That duty was beyond her. Her older sister's support was something she could take for granted, but hearing it still helped her, made her feel stronger, more prepared.

The other three had stopped a few yards away; it seemed that none of them were planning to get close. Jaune had his eyes fixed on her. Everything good and human had returned to his gaze.

He was handsome, without a shadow of a doubt. Even she, whose sense of aesthetics was primarily geared toward weapons, had realized that. He wouldn't feel out of place between the pages of the fashion magazines that Yang sometimes browsed. But now he was even more so, the faint smile enhanced his features. As if that wasn't enough, he was affectionate, kind, and really cared about her. He was nothing like the first impression he gave her. But was that enough to call whatever existed between them love? Enough to make him her Taiyang, so to speak? The person that would be by her side for the rest of her life...

"Yang... What do you think of Jaune?"

"Sis, don't worry about my opinion."

"But would you approve of him? You know, like..." Ruby blushed and couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. Anyone would have guessed the rest.

"Are you in love with him?"

"I don't know," she honestly said, without a hint of embarrassment. It didn't make sense to lie to her own sister, especially because she always knew. "I've never been in love, even saying it seems strange to me. But I think so."

Yang nodded.

"Even if he's a little weird, I'm fine with him as long as he makes you happy. That's all I really care about."

"Thank you."

* * *

Jaune finally approached the sisters, after being absorbed in watching Ruby and losing track of time. His heartbeat sounded like blows with a hammer. He had the feeling that he was approaching _something_ in more than the physical sense.

"Yang." He nodded to her. "Good to see you. What brings you here?"

"Nice to see you too," she replied with a strange smile. "But I'm leaving already. Well, have fun!"

Jaune watched her walk away. What would they have been talking about?

Ruby dragged him out of his thoughts by hugging him and burying her head in his chest. Her body was warm, firm and very small. Yet she was strong. Much stronger than him. He could feel that, too.

He placed a hand on her back and caressed it.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just... let me stay like this for a little longer."

Hearing her speak reassured him. There was no trace of pain or sadness in her voice.


	7. Chapter Two - II

**II**

"Ah, there you are, Weiss. Good. We need to talk."

"Whatever it is about, couldn't you wait a moment? I'm putting on makeup."

Yang stood next to her, so that her whole face would appear in the mirror, and she folded her arms behind her back.

"I see that. Believe it or not, I'm a girl too. But it can't wait. In fact, this is the perfect moment. I don't want Ren and Nora to know about any of this. Not because I don't trust them, but because it's about a personal matter.

Weiss sighed.

"It's not like you to beat about the bush. Let it out now, go on. It's the least I can do for you. Besides, this kind of thing falls under the responsibilities of a team leader."

"It's about Jaune Arc."

"I hope that will sound more sensible with the rest of the explanation," Weis whispered. "Because at the moment you're just making me think about running before you convince me to do something crazy."

"Ah, you don't twist your pretty face like that. He's not so bad. He came to apologize, after all, didn't he?"

Weiss remained silent for a while.

"I don't think he was sincere. He was looking at me, but it was as if he didn't see me. As if I didn't matter at all."

"Yeah, well." Yang couldn't protest. He had given her the same impression. "Then think of him as a rabid dog. He's intimidating, but he can't bite you while he's wearing his muzzle."

"And what is that muzzle? Because when he attacked me he gave me the impression that he is free to do as he pleases."

"One that can't be removed. Ruby, my little sister. But that's precisely what worries me. I don't know anything about him. Who he really is, where he comes from, what he thinks and why."

"Who he really is? What are you talking about?"

"I thought you would know. Supposedly, the Arc family, including Jaune Arc himself, died in a Grimm attack ten years ago."

Weiss tensed, arching her back.

"Well, Ozpin didn't accept him for no reason at all. He must have investigated his background. I don't think there's anything to find out."

"Ozpin is just a man. He's got some power and some influence, but it can't be compared to what your family's corporation has. We are both aware of that." She let her arms fall to her sides. "Please, Weiss. I need you. You're the only person I can depend on for this. All you have to do is make a call. Even if nothing comes out, at least I'll feel calmer."

Weiss turned even paler.

"Weiss?"

"I can't." She bowed his head.

"For what reason?"

If she thought it was simply because Weiss didn't want to, she would have exploded. But even she could see that it wasn't such a simple matter.

"I'm not in a position to ask my father for favors. I came to Beacon with his permission, yes, but I had to earn it. And I'm sure he let me go in the hope that I would give up, that I couldn't cope, and go back to Atlas with my tail between my legs. And anyway," she made a face, "he wouldn't want his employees to waste time on a 'whim' of his youngest daughter."

Yang clenched her fists.

"Are you sure there's nothing to do?"

"I'll try," she said slowly and after a while. "I can promise you that, but nothing more. I'm aware that many people envy me. They despise me because they think I was born with everything. But what those others see as luck is just a burden to me. I don't have everything I can dream of, nor do what I want. And this will continue until Jacques... Father dies. "

Yang didn't overlook that she had to correct himself. Evidently she didn't feel any affection for her father. It was hard for her to imagine that. Hers was constantly getting on her nerves, but she loved him anyway. She was also aware that, despite how much she had suffered, there were many people in this world who were less fortunate than she was. Of course. She was not so self-centered.

"Or rather, I will enter another cage," she continued, her voice was like that of a little bird. "But one less narrow, which is no small thing."

She left the brush down, to one side of the sink.

Yang took another step forward and gave her a big hug from behind. Weiss was soft and weak, nothing like the cold exterior suggested. He had soon discovered that. She was familiar with people like her.

"W-what are you...?"

"I understand that I'm not the person you want to hug you like this, and that you might think I'm a little unpleasant and too noisy, but it's not that bad, is it? Shut up and enjoy it for the moment."

Shut up and enjoy it for the moment.

Weiss raised her hands.

For a moment Yang thought she was going to push her hands away, but she just put them on top and squeezed them lightly. The bangs covered her eyes. Still, it wasn't hard to see that she was fighting back tears.

She was adorable like her little sister. And just as... fragile.

Yang smiled. She was hopeless. It's not that she blamed or despised her father for it, but the truth was that she had raised Ruby alone for nearly a decade, had become her father and her mother, and now that she could finally let go of her and allow her to spread her wings, so to say, she had found another little sister to take care of.

But she couldn't help it. She wasn't the kind of person who could ignore birds with a broken wing that wanted to fly.

"I'm sorry," Weiss said softly, almost a whisper.

"If you're talking about your first meeting with Ruby, you don't have to apologize. I understand you're insecure and fearful, not a bad person."

"But..."

"Nothing, Weiss. I've already forgotten and forgiven you, you know that, don't you? So don't keep tormenting yourself. I'm not your father. You don't have to crawl before me to prove anything to me.

She began to tremble in her arms.

"Easy," Yang whispered in her ear. "Don't worry. You don't have to be ashamed of crying. There's nothing wrong with accepting your own feelings."

* * *

Jaune looked around. At last he had a place to sleep, a shed not too clean and not entirely empty. But he couldn't complain. He had expected this since Ozpin told him that there were no free rooms left in the dormitories. Leaving that out, there weren't many more options left.

He slammed the door behind him. Night had already fallen, so it was practically dark, except for the moonlight that seeped through the slits in of the window. He dragged himself to his bed and sat on it.

His body felt heavy, as if he had been fighting almost without rest for a whole week.

He needed sleep, but was afraid to close his eyes.

He had rejected Ruby's kind offer because he knew it was best for her, but now he wanted her by his side. He only felt at peace when she was by his side, when he could hear her voice.

He covered his face with his hands.

He was not going to sleep well tonight. In that case, it would be best to take advantage of the time and train until dawn. That way he would at least get rid of the cold lethargy that threatened to dominate his body. And he wouldn't have time to think about things he shouldn't think about.

Jaune rose, went in search of his sword and shield, which had been returned to him by Ozpin a few hours ago. As he searched the darkness, not bothering to turn on the light, he heard a faint whisper. At first he thought it was the wind. He immediately realized that it was actually the door.

There, on the threshold, he saw Ruby Rose.

She wore the same pajamas as the day before the initiation test. He recognized that distantly, but somehow something had changed. Something was very different. Her skin seemed to shine with its own light, a light that eclipsed that of the fragmented moon. Her eyes were not only beautiful, enchanting, marvelous, but looked like portals to another world. A world that was at hand and, at the same time, terribly distant.

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he had run out of breath. Looking at her and smiling, she resembled more than ever...

 _No. No! No!_

Jaune turned around, put his hand to his chest. His heart trembled. It wriggled like a worm. Each beat was painful. He was on the edge of a precipice, a mental collapse or a panic attack.

"Jaune?" She called him softly.

"What are you doing here?"

"You know that already. I don't want to leave you alone." She closed the door. "Before you say anything, we don't have to sleep in the same bed. I'll stay on the floor, to the side. Jaune, what's going on?" She put her hands on his upper back, leaned her forehead there. "Are you afraid? If I'm really bothering you, I'll leave without saying anything else. But I thought this was what you wanted."

Jaune remained silent.

"All right, I'll leave. I'm sorry."

"Stay. Please stay. But only for tonight. If you indulge my every whim, I will become a more selfish person than I already am."

"Look at me. Please."

That's what he did.

Ruby touched his face with her fingertips. For a crazy moment, he thought she was about to kiss him. For a crazy moment, he considered taking the plunge himself.

"Asking for help is not selfish at all. Nor is it a sign of weakness. I can't imagine the life you've led to make you seriously think that way, and I don't want to. But you don't have to live like that anymore. Hiding from yourself and others. At least not when you are with me. "

"A nice sentiment. It's very typical of you, but you don't know how I really am, or what I try to hide. You think that my hostility is nothing more than a poor façade built to hide the pain I carry inside. You couldn't be more mistaken. The boy who shouted savagely at Weiss, who put his sword to her throat, who had every intention of killing her right there... that's Jaune Arc. That, the face of an animal, is my true face."

"I don't believe you."

"Only because you don't want to."

"Because I don't want to and because I can't. Not long ago you were trembling and crying in my arms. How do you want me to believe that it wasn't real?"

Jaune didn't know how to respond.

"You can't," said Ruby, triumphant. "Of course not."

"Ruby..."

"Don't say anything. Let's go to sleep."

She started to walk and took it with her, pulling on his shoulder. A few meters ahead, she stumbled on the step. If he hadn't caught her in time, grabbing her by the waist, both of them would have fallen to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "My eyes have not yet adjusted to the darkness."

It was obvious. His eyes, however, did not need time for such an adjustment. He saw with the same clarity under the light of the sun as in the darkest of nights. That skill had saved his skin not infrequently. So he could look down, he might see something, and Ruby wouldn't even notice. He was embarrassed to admit it, but he had to restrain himself.

He took her by the hand and guided her to the foot of the bed, but not in a straight line, so that it seemed that there were some obstacles along the way, enjoying every moment of that slight contact.

"I will not allow you to sleep on the floor. Take the bed, I'll stay here."

"I think you know me well enough to know how I'm going to answer that."

"I have slept many nights outdoors, and on harder and colder floors than this. Believe me, it's nothing new to me."

"All the more reason for you to enjoy a real bed. But I can't convince you, so which side do you prefer?"

"Okay. Okay."

Jaune laid down on the left side. Ruby, without saying a word, took the right side of the bed. He only heard this. He had stared at the wall and refused to move his gaze. It didn't do much good. He couldn't help but hear her breathing and feel it on his neck, feel the warmth of her body. If this continued, he would go mad. However, it was too late to turn back.

"Good night."

"Good night, Ruby," he said. But he couldn't sleep, he hadn't even closed his eyes.

The night was dead. Outside you couldn't even hear the murmur of the wind. In him took root the powerful sensation that at some point, somehow, they had been transported to a world just for them. How beautiful that would be. He was an abomination. In the world in which he lived there was not a trace of beauty. But by her side perhaps he would discover within him a piece of nobility, a spark of light.

Perhaps.

He glanced sidelong at Ruby. Her eyes were closed, but he doubted that she had fallen asleep so abruptly. He wanted to speak. He couldn't say everything if she wasn't asleep, but some things.

"Once someone wrote, «The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown»." Jaune dryly recited. "The night holds no secrets for me. Still, I'm afraid of the dark. Laugh at me if you want to. I deserve it. For someone with a role like mine to tremble over something only small children fear is ridiculous. But I can't help it.

When I close my eyes, I have the feeling that I am falling into an unfathomable abyss. Where there is no light to guide me. Where there is nothing but darkness and silence. But what I fear most is not what is at the bottom of the abyss, nor the fall itself. I have been in free fall for ten years.

With one hand behind his head, he lifted the other, the left, towards the ceiling, as if there was something to grab there.

"Yes. What I'm really afraid of is that it will never end." He dropped his hand. "Are you really sleeping?"

Ruby had opened her eyes.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted quietly. "You're talking about something concrete, not a formless fear. But even if I ask questions, you're not willing to answer them. I want to help you, but I don't know how."

"It's not that I wanted you to fix my problems. Just... tell someone, even if they were asleep."

"Do you feel better?"

"A little."

Ruby smiled sadly.

"Liar."

He looked into her eyes, devoting all his attention to her. He had forgotten the risky situation he was in.

"You know me that well?"

"No. I think I know you a little better than the rest of the world, but you don't want me to know you, you said it clearly before. So you close up, you make an effort to hide so many things I want to know. But some of those things, Jaune, cannot be hidden so easily."

Jaune sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am. After all, you can't take your eye off me, but neither can I. I've been watching you all the time lately."

Jaune turned around again, so that she wouldn't see him blush.

"For what reason?"

"I'll keep it to myself for now. I like secrets too."

His brain was running at full speed, dissecting every word that came out of Ruby's mouth, it had been doing s for a while now. He noticed that she was acting differently, but he didn't understand what was going on or why.

An equally strange idea crossed his mind.

He rejected it immediately, without considering it for a second.

"Let's go to sleep" Jaune said, his voice trembling. "I don't want you to make up for lost time in class tomorrow, you know."

"Yes. Sleep well."

"You too."

He closed his eyes.

He was tense and nervous, but, deep down, much better than before she appeared at the door of the shed. Even for someone like him it was easy to see why. That his heart trembled when he felt close to the girl he liked, when he allowed himself to believe she was flirting with him or at least trying to do so, were the normal feelings of a normal boy. Not a freak like him.

Of course, that was only a fantasy, a mirage. But there was nothing wrong with believing in it. And admire it as long as he could.

No, nothing at all.

* * *

A field of red roses. The fragmented moon. And the smell of blood permeating the air, so sweet, so irresistible, so painfully beautiful. In spite of everything, the boy knew the truth. This dreamlike place was a tomb for him and another person. Although he was undoubtedly still alive, this was where his life had ended in the past.

A mirage stood amid the roses. Red cape. Eyes like pure silver. The scythe behind her, its edge a fragment of the moon.

"Did you find what you wanted?" The woman asked him.

Under her cloak, her face was rotting. Her eyes were nests of worms. Although the shape drawn by her clothes suggested she was healthy, she was nothing but bones and dust.

A fantasy. A mirage.

"I want nothing," Jaune whispered. "I seek nothing."

"Did you find what you wanted?"

He lowered his head. He looked at his hands.

"Even if I had, I have no hands with which to hold it."

"Did you find what you wanted?"

The memory of 'someone' asking him that same question came to the surface of his mind. It was brief. At once it disappeared like bubbles in the sea when a person drowned.

"I'm already dead. What difference would it make, even if I had?"

Pain exploded in his chest.

Looking down, he saw, unsurprisingly, that the edge of the scythe had passed through him cleanly, from side to side. Well, maybe cleanly it wasn't the right word. The blood was gushing. In the hole that had suddenly appeared in his chest, he saw bits of bone and his soft organs threatening to spill out like water.

The hood fell, revealing the face of his attacker.

Jaune opened his eyes wide.

"Who are you? You are not..."

* * *

Upon waking up, Ruby took several seconds to remember where she was and what she had been doing before falling asleep, and a few more to gather the strength to move.

Jaune was turning constantly, that way he had managed to wake her up at this hour. His face was very red, his forehead beaded with sweat. His breathing was out of control.

She did not like to see him that way. She didn't know what to say, but to wake him up she didn't need to speak. It was enough to tap her on the shoulder and shake him. She had gone to bed with a boy she liked, although not to that, almost without hesitation. Why doubt now, when he needed her the most?

"...want..."

She jumped. But it was only Jaune's voice, of course. She approached to hear him better.

"Who are you? You are not..."

She vaguely remembered reading that people were especially suggestible when the moment of waking approached, or something like that. In any case, this could be her opportunity. She would try only once. If she did not respond, she would wake him immediately.

"Who am I?" Ruby whispered next to his ear.

"Don't leave me alone." His desperate plea broke her heart. "I will protect her for the rest of my life, so close your eyes and rest."

Then Jaune said a name. It was not hers.

Ruby's heart stopped.

* * *

"Ruby. Hey, are you listening to me?"

Ruby shook her head, as if to get rid of the thoughts that were distracting her. Her older sister had come so close, for the second time, without her noticing. But the surprising thing was that she could pay even a little attention to what was going on around her.

Tomorrow had come again and she was on her way to class, but how could she care about any of that?

She had ended up with more questions than answers. All thanks to the name he had pronounced at that time.

 _Summer_.

She hadn't heard wrong. She hadn't imagined it. She was only fifteen years old, but she wasn't the kind of person who deceived herself because the lie was more convenient. No matter how much she didn't want to believe it, even if she denied it with all her might, the truth wouldn't change.

"No, eh? Well, I'll repeat myself. Your partners told me what happened last night. You didn't do anything bad with him, did you? Come on, please, don't be so quiet. You're scaring me."

"Humm. Sorry, I was distracted."

"Ah, I knew it! Tell me that at least you forced him to wear a condom."

Ruby turned red like a tomato and covered her sister's mouth with one hand, but of course, it was too late, the damage was done.

"How can you be so dumb? Keep your voice down, please."

Yang took her hand away easily.

Well, of course. If Yang didn't let her win, she wouldn't have any chance against her in a competition of strength.

"The coast is clear. And I'm sorry, mea culpa, and so on, but that's not what matters most to me right now. Did you or didn't you, Ruby? I'm serious."

"No, nothing of what you're imagining happened. And even if it had, if I'm old enough to hunt monsters, to live risking my life all the time, then I'm old enough to _fuck_."

As irritating as it was, she blushed even more when she uttered that word. Not only because of the idea it put in her head, but simply because she didn't like to say words that sounded so dirty. Being near her Uncle Qrow when he got drunk had made her develop a tolerance for all sorts of swear words and given her a wide vocabulary, but using it herself was a different story.

"But not with a boy you barely know."

"What difference does it make, when I could die tomorrow?" she replied coldly.

Yang stiffened. She looked at her with eyes that didn't look like her own.

"What's the matter with you?"

Ruby looked away.

Her sister put two fingers on her chin and forced her to look at her.

"Please. If you don't want to talk about whatever that is with me, it doesn't matter as long as you tell someone, okay?"

Ruby sighed deeply.

Telling her the truth wouldn't do any good. She loved her sister very much, and that meant that she was very aware of her personality and tendencies. In other words, she would immediately go after Jaune and get violent with him in order to get everything out of him, or at least to lessen that feeling of terrible helplessness produced by not being able to help her when she needed it most.

"I'm worried about normal stuff. If I'm really the right person to lead this team, what Blake and Pyrrha think of me. And Jaune," she sighed, "is a world of problems and headaches on his own."

"Is that really all there is?"

Why did she have to be so perceptive when it wasn't convenient?

"I gave myself to him and he rejected me. That was a big shock. I'm still trying to get over it."

"You haven't even tried hard to make it sound moderately believable. As I said before, if you don't want to tell me, fine. But don't treat me like a fool."

"... It's not that. Part of me wants to tell you everything, but I don't know how."

"And the other one doesn't want to."

"The other one," she replied dryly, "thinks there's no point in doing it, one way or another, because you should already know who I'm thinking about. It will pass. It always does. So don't insist, give me a break. Okay?"

It was a dirty move. But also the only thing that was going to make her give up, at least for the moment.

"I'm sorry. I never know what to say or how to say it."

"I know. I love you, Yang. That will never change."

"Same here."

* * *

Jaune sighed heavily.

On his first day, he had avoided participating in one of the training fights of Goodwitch's class because he was still recovering. The next few days, by pure luck. But luck, like all things, ended sooner or later. The time had come today.

Anyway, what was he going to do?

He was not used to taking orders from anyone, but here he was just a student. And he could not impose his will by force.

He had no interest in attracting attention or flaunting his abilities, least of all in front of a bunch of school children, but he disliked the idea of prolonging this boring spectacle longer than necessary. He would play with his opponent for a minute. Then he would crush him.

Except if it turned out to be Ruby, of course. He wouldn't be surprised. The fight between two members of the same team was often the first step in learning to fight together. In that case, his goal would be to lose in a way that wouldn't embarrass himself or her.

The image finally stopped spinning.

The chosen face was that of a boy he didn't know. Well, he knew very few people in this place. The really strange thing would have been recognized his opponent. It didn't matter anyway. Only the faculty could stand up to him and even then he had his doubts.

"Cardin Winchester," Goodwich called him, not looking away from her Scroll, which was heavy and difficult to handle, "come down to the arena."

Jaune looked at his opponent out of sheer curiosity.

Unlike some people, the photo of his face was a good indication of what the rest of his body looked like. He looked like an ape who had somehow learned to stand on two legs.

His weapon was a simple mace. Perhaps because he felt overconfident in his speed and strength, because he believed he could overwhelm any opponent with that, or because of lack of money. In any case, he wouldn't have to worry about hidden tricks. That made it even simpler.

Cardin reached the arena, with the mace resting on one shoulder and a slight smile pulling on his lips.

He did not like that expression.

Change of plans. It might be a bit of a problem, but he was going to make sure Cardin would not look at him that way again.

"Ready, set... go!"

Cardin threw himself at him.

Jaune did not move an inch from his position, and blocked the blow of the heavy mace with his sword at the last moment. It was a small demonstration of the unfathomable abyss between them, but it seemed that the ape could not even smell the truth even when presented with such a clear example. He seemingly believed that he had taken him by surprise, that he would overwhelm him in the same manner to which he was accustomed.

How ridiculous.

He would be a good nightclub bouncer, but he could stop dreaming of being a hunter right here, right now.

"You know, I was worried about you," Cardin said. "Having some sort of panic attack before the initiation test is not the most inspiring thing; we all thought that someone had made a serious mistake in accepting you, for sure. And on top of that you turn out to be the only student who got hurt during the test. But now you're here, like a normal student. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart."

They exchanged a series of blows.

Jaune did not lose even a millimeter of terrain, but the same could be said of his opponent, as he did not concentrate on attacking.

"So," Cardin continued as if someone cared about his verbal diarrhea, "if you beg well, I won't humiliate you in front of everyone. Or is that what you want? An excuse to cry and squeeze yourself against that brat's small tits again?"

Jaune stopped. The mace crashed into his face, but he did not even feel it. He felt as if he were floating above his body, watching everything like a ghost.

He took a deep breath, released the air after a few seconds. Then he disposed of his sword and shield, throwing them out of the arena.

"Should I take this as a surrender, Mr. Arc?" Goodwitch asked.

"No," he replied coldly.

Cardin swung the mace again, this time holding it with both hands.

Jaune stopped the blow with his own hands and snatched the weapon from him before he knew it, with simple, fluid movements, only to throw it away in the same way as his own weapon. Like him, Cardin had no means to recover it without losing the fight.

It would be a humiliating defeat, but he doubted that even this opponent was stupid enough to forget the rules in his anger.

Besides, if that were to happen, neither Cardin nor the audience would accept his defeat. He had to make his superiority very clear. And what would happen to him if he talked about Ruby again in such a vulgar manner.

Cardin looked him in the eye.

"I am not helpless without my weapon," he said.

"Me neither." He felt the need to add that, even though it was obvious.

Jaune went on the attack.

He couldn't compare himself to a human whirlwind after seeing Ruby in action, or rather, not seeing her. But it was true that his speed was far greater than that of a normal hunter, as far as such a thing existed.

Unfortunately for him, Cardin was one of those hunters. He hid it well, but it was obvious to him that each of his punches made him tremble. He was like a person who could not swim trying to avoid drowning.

Jaune stifled his laughter.

Cardin fell to his knees. He was a little taller than he was. Like that,, however, he seemed very small and very weak. He grabbed him by the neck with one hand and pulled him towards him, leaning so that their eyes were more or less at the same level.

"I want you to know something," Jaune whispered. "I want you to burn it into your mind. This was no coincidence. I am superior to you in every way, and I will kill you if you ever speak about Ruby again, if you even dare to approach her. But not before I make you scream so much that you will forget the sound of your own voice. Of course, doing anything that troubles her is also forbidden. Do you understand me? Do my words reach your worn-out brain?"

"I understand you," he said slowly and after a while.

"All right."

He kicked it out of the arena.

In pain and on the ground, while Goodwitch proclaimed his crushing victory, Cardin lifted his head and looked at him with eyes full of hatred. With a murderous intent comparable to that of the Grimm.

He didn't understand. The example had not been enough for him.

Jaune let out a low, hoarse laugh that bordered on malignant.

* * *

"Stop it! That hurts."

A warm laugh, as if it were the best moment of his life.

"I told you they were real." That's when Jaune began to pay attention to that disturbance, for he recognized Cardin's voice. In two days he hadn't caused him any trouble, he hadn't even dared to look at him. Now he was doing his thing again, apparently.

Without stopping to eat, he turned to contemplate the scene.

Hearing that, the first thing that had come to mind was sexual harassment. But no. He and his cronies were simply messing with a Faunus rabbit.

He looked away.

Cardin had apparently regained his energy, but he had no intention, at least for the moment, of using it to get back at him or hurt Ruby. So that had nothing to do with him. He could be calm.

Jaune smiled.

Being in Beacon, with Ruby, who did not want to be separated from him either at night or during the day, made his new life full of an ordinary happiness that the being born ten years ago had never tasted. As for the others... well, he didn't care in the least, but he had to admit that they weren't bad company. He was even beginning to get used to that noisy girl. What was her name? Oh, yes. Nora.

"That's terrible," Pyrrha said. "I can't stand people like him."

Jaune snorted.

"What's so funny?" Blake asked.

"Hypocrisy. Pyrrha has won I don't know how many tournaments, as far as I know she is the second person in this group with the most experience in fighting against human beings. If it bothers her so much, she can get up and fix it at any time. Those words will not, however. And they won't be of any consolation to that girl, who can't even hear them."

Pyrrha bowed her head.

"What about you?" Blake nailed him with her gaze and put her hands on the table. Her eyes were more alert and alive than he had ever seen them before. "Do you think she deserves to be treated this way?"

"No. But I don't misunderstand, I don't care either."

A movement to his left.

Ruby. She had gotten up.

"What are you doing?"

She looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"You're right. Instead of talking, this has to be fixed."

Jaune grabbed her by the sleeve of her uniform before she could rush out of there to face Cardin. He knew that she was practically helpless without Crescent Rose, and it would take her too long to go to her locker and come back with the weapon, so he would have to do what had to be done in her place.

He didn't feel irritated. It was, after all, yet another opportunity to fulfill his duty.

He was going to leave the fork on the table, but he had second thoughts. With it as his only weapon, he approached Cardin and that girl. He released her a few seconds before he stopped in front of him, not because he had seen him coming, but by pure coincidence, but that was not going to save him.

He looked at him.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Jaune grabbed his head and smashed it against the table with all his strength. While he was struggling to free himself, he stuck the fork through his hand. The groan of pain he let out was even more comical than the way he twisted, like a worm in the earth.

His lackeys, for they were nothing more than that, got up and made a motion to take out their weapons... only to realize that they were not carrying them.

He removed the fork with the same force. The blood splashed on the table, on the floor, on his own hands.

The lackeys threw themselves at him, even though they were not armed. The first one he left on the ground with a kick in the solar plexus. He grabbed the second as if he were a sack of straw, with only one arm, and threw him back over his shoulder. The third and last one froze. His eyes told him he wanted to flee, not fight.

He made Cardin lift his head by pulling his hair.

"You didn't have enough, huh?"

"What are you talking about?" He protested. "You're crazy. I haven't done anything to that girl."

"Like I told you, doing anything that bothers her is also forbidden. Ruby doesn't like this. You've been warned. If I see you like this again, I'll break every bone in your filthy body so you can never threaten anyone again."

Having said all he had to say, he threw him to the ground.

Jaune looked at Ruby to see how she felt about what he had done. He thought she would praise him. That she would be smiling. But all he saw was cold eyes and a frown. He could not bear that gaze for more than two seconds.

When had things begun to go wrong? What mistake had he made?

Ruby had not liked the incident with Weiss at all, but he had learned his lesson and adjusted his response. The answer had to be proportionate. In other words, only violence demanded violence, and Cardin had cruelly pulled that girl's ears as if she was a life-sized toy. He deserved it!

 _Don't look at me with those eyes._

And she had asked him to take care of it. No doubt this was what she wanted, the only answer. Or did she think they could have solved things by talking? Words had no effect on people like him. He put his hands to his temples, he squeezed hard. He felt that his head was going to explode.

He deserved itdeserveditdeservedideserved it.

 _Who did?_

He dropped his arms at his sides, limp. The girl approached to shyly thank him. He passed by, only vaguely registering her existence.

* * *

His feet led him outside. He inserted ten Líen into the slot of the vending machine and pressed a button. Pushed by the spring, the water bottle slid down, then traveled through the tunnel and reached where his open hand awaited.

Staggering, he crawled to a nearby bench. He uncorked the bottle and drank avidly. No doubt it was due to his state of mind, but he tasted like stagnant water. He felt like vomiting.

He closed his eyes. He poured the rest of the bottle over himself, as if he had run a marathon and needed to cool down as quickly as possible. The inside of his body had been transformed into a furnace. It was as if he was melting. No, he was really doing it. He looked at his hands, wet with sweat, which trembled slightly.

"Jaune." A voice. Was it just his imagination? Raising his head, he discovered that it was not.

Ruby. She seemed nervous and he didn't know why. He didn't even know something that simple. He thought he had come closer to Ruby in the past week, that he was closer to understanding her and becoming the knight she needed. But the distance between them seemed as wide as before, or perhaps even wider.

The boy bowed his head.

"Tell me, what have I done wrong? I thought it was what you wanted. I had no intention of making you feel bad or going against your wishes. Forgive me. Please. Please tell me what I did wrong and it won't happen again. "

"Don't talk like you're afraid of me. I know how important the promise is to you, but I don't want you to be my knight or anything like that. Only my friend."

"Are you going to abandon me?" The muscles in his face shook violently. Bitter tears, the feeling that his soul was slowly being crushed. If it weren't for the fact that he was sitting on a bench, he would have lost his balance and ended up lying on the pavement like a garbage bag.

"No. Of course not. Don't say that. We'll always be together, no matter what. And that will never change. I promise. But... you don't have to keep that wall between us. Look at me, Jaune. I am right here. If you extend your arm," she said, clutching one of his hands with herown. She placed it on her own face, gently, gently, as if she were touching a wound. "You can touch me. That feeling of distance is only in your head. Why don't you realize something so obvious?"

Jaune bit his lower lip hard, until the taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Because you're wrong. Though I know you would allow it, I do not deserve to stand by your side as an equal. And even if I did... I have forgotten for years how to do things that others take for granted, how a human being feels and acts."

"You are human."

Jaune shook his head gently.

"I have lived for a decade, for most of my life, like a common hunting dog. With no one by my side. No one to listen to me. I went out again and again to the land of the Grimm, to the ends of the world, as if seeking death. All in order to make me stronger, to prepare myself for the day when we would look each other in the eye for the first time. Even if you wish it from the bottom of your heart, I am not the person you want me to be. And of course, there's no chance I'll become him. I'm like a ghost. A stamp left by the thoughts and emotions of Jaune Arc at the time of his death. No more and no less."

Ruby did not respond.

After a while, she let go of her hand.

He promised himself that he wouldn't cry.

"I know everything," she said slowly and clearly, without a second thought. "Or at least I know enough to get a good idea of the rest. What happened ten years ago. Summer Rose... my mother died trying to save you and your family. And you made that promise to her."

* * *

 **Authors Note**

I finished this chapter long before, but I was waiting for my beta reader to show signs of life before publishing it. She hasn't shown them yet. I think it's time to find look for another one.


	8. Chapter Two - III

**III**

"How do you know?" His voice trembled. He was only able to say something as stupid as that question, although it was far for the most important thing.

"My mother and your family died on the same day and, more or less, in the same area. That's suspicious. Until now there was nothing to link these events, but once something is discovered, no matter how small, anyone would have noticed. The first night... you whispered her name in your dreams. I've know everything since then."

Jaune threw himself at her feet. Ruby stepped back out of surprise. If not, he would have licked her boots.

He fixed his gaze on the floor. Shame was a word that didn't even come close to what he was feeling.

"Forgive me, I beg you. Don't abandon me."

"Don't talk like that. And don't lower yourself, don't bow your head as if I was superior to you. As I told you before, we will always be together. No matter what happens. It's my own promise, and I value it as much or more than you value yours. I've been acting normally these last few days, even though I knew the truth. Isn't that enough proof that it doesn't change anything?"

"It should." He swallowed. "It was my fault that... Summer died."

"You were just a child. You couldn't have saved her no matter how hard you tried. Be reasonable with yourself, don't punish yourself for something inevitable. Because of my mother's decision."

"Yes, she made a decision. And I didn't listen to her. Instead of running... I thought I could help her. No, I didn't. I didn't think, and that's why..."

The past jumped to the surface of his mind. The last barrier between memories and his fragile heart was that Ruby didn't know the truth, and a moment ago it had been torn down. In other words, he was helpless.

He thought he was hearing something. A strange sound, for which words were not enough. Again and again.

He thought it was the sound his sanity made as it collapsed.

He could bear it no longer. He didn't want to go on living like this.

"I'm not going to lie to you," said Ruby softly, as if talking to someone on the edge of a precipice, preparing to commit suicide. "I wanted to hate you, to despise you, hoping to get rid of the pain inside of me. Because I haven't gotten over my mother's death. And I don't think that's possible in the first place. But..."

"But nothing. You're not wrong. I am a disgusting and despicable being, and I only deserve disgust and contempt." He lifted his head. He dared to look her in the eyes. "I'll kill myself, okay? But first you have to promise to forgive me, because without that security... I'm afraid I'll be too cowardly to do it."

Ruby slapped him.

 _This is only natural_ , he thought. _Allowing her to vent her anger on me is the least I can do_. But she wasn't angry. Ruby had burst into the tears.

She knelt down and hugged him tightly. Even in that position, he could see her small shoulders trembling. And at the same time, the force within her did not escape him. She seemed more alive that everything that surrounded her.

Jaune's lips drew a bitter smile. He, protect her? Who did he think he was?

"Why?" he muttered without energy. "Whatever you say, I am the reason for your sadness and suffering. Crying for me doesn't make sense. Hate me."

Ruby backed off. She looked at him very closely. He felt her warm breath on his skin.

He drank from that image. Her red face. The gleam of her eyes because of the tears. The trembling smile she tried to maintain, more for his sake than for herself. Ah, how could she be so beautiful?

"It seems that instead of believing that's what you deserve, you're begging me to play along with it. That's it, isn't it?" She nodded to herself twice. "You're not interested in things 'being as they should be,' whatever that means. You want to be judged."

Jaune stopped breathing for a second.

"Maybe you're right."

"As I was saying, it is true that a part of me wants to blame you, but I know I can't. That you're just another victim. You've suffered enough, all these years. It's clear. Besides, if what you deserve is hate, what about my mother, who sacrificed her life for a bunch of strangers instead of making sure she came home? Should she hate her too? "

"No, of course not. Life is not so simple, Jaune. Before you entered my life, all I had were unanswered questions and a void in my chest. But now I know that my mother died as she lived: sacrificing herself to protect others. And I am proud of that from the bottom of my heart. So I should thank you."

A second passed.

"I hope my death will be like hers."

Something he may have realized from the beginning went in and out of his mind. A simple but devastating thought.

* * *

"We have to talk," Jaune said.

Blake turned on her heels and, for a few seconds, looked at him in an attentive and calculating manner, as if preparing to fight him. Then she relaxed. She forced herself to relax, more like.

That kind of reaction indicated that her past was probably similar to his own.

He couldn't help but remember the smell of blood that he detected when she came to visit him in the infirmary and tensed himself. But it was not the time for his paranoia; she had probably cut herself during training or something.

"What do you want from me?" she asked. Although she was controlling himself, he couldn't hide the slight tension in his voice.

Beacon's students passed around them, going back and forth, avoiding both by a wide margin. They were alone in a sea of people. Of sound. But this was not the best place to talk.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't waste my time."

Jaune grimaced.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what? I can't remember, be more precise and do me the favor of refreshing my memory."

Jaune took a deep breath. He looked away. He tried to put his thoughts and feelings in the right order, but no coherent phrase occurred to him. He did not even know where to begin.

Blake grabbed one of his wrists and dragged him into an empty class.

"Don't bother thinking about it. You can't give me an answer. Now I'll tell you why. You're not being honest. What you are feeling is that Ruby scolded you, that's all. But I don't care. Even indifference is better than hate. And to recognize that the Faunus don't deserve to be treated that way... well, that's more than I can ask of many members of your species. I am not praising you. Don't misunderstand me. But I won't hold a grudge against you either."

"Your species?"

Blake pulled off her bow in one fell swoop, unceremoniously.

It took him several seconds to register that she had cat ears. In other words, Blake was a Faunus. But it couldn't be true. He had seen her countless times without the bow, and an extra pair of ears was not something that could be overlooked.

"Can I touch them?"

"I don't like it, but okay. If that's what it takes to convince you."

Jaune extended a hand towards her slowly, as if he were afraid to touch her. In doing so, he made sure that they were undoubtedly real ears.

Impossible as it seemed, he could not deny the reality before his eyes.

"I don't understand," Jaune muttered, insecure.

"Don't worry, it's very simple. If I were seen all the time with a bow, people would become suspicious sooner or later, obviously. So I periodically cut off my ears."

"What?"

"Our animal parts regenerate quite quickly, so it's just a small sacrifice."

"How can you just talk about something like that so easily?

Blake frowned. He leaned back, leaning his lower back against the professor's table and his hands on it.

"Well, it's nothing. Many of my kind do the same. Others can't hide their nature even if they're willing to make that sacrifice, so I'm lucky, in a way. But still, it's almost funny, you know? I wonder how many of the people I've had a civil conversation with here would look at me with disgust, hatred, and even fear if I went out like this. Just the way I am."

Blake smiled sadly.

"There it is. The regret."

* * *

"Jaune, do you love me?"

The question remained floating in the air and slipped through the silence. Jaune turned around so that he could look at Ruby in the eye. He had grown accustomed to having her in his bed, so he was not embarrassed. Not because of that, anyway. But that question, so suddenly, and on top of that while being about to fall asleep...

What kind of person would have managed to keep his composure?

If it was possible, it was only for a person with a stronger will than his own.

He was taking a long time to respond, but it seemed that Ruby was not bothered by the prolonged silence, even though he felt as if he were drowning. Her expression was indecipherable. At least, again, for someone like him.

"I don't even know what love is," he admitted, "I'm not trying to avoid answering, don't get me wrong. You are the only person I care about in this world. Does this mean that I love you? That the line between simple affection and true love can be drawn so easily, so cleanly? I don't know. You told me that life is not that simple, and I think you're right."

Of course she was.

Jaune had lived for a decade with everything clear in his head, without even looking back for a second. And now he wasn't sure of anything.

"And do you... desire me?"

Jaune swallowed.

He had heard wrong. Surely. He made the mistake of letting his imagination run wild and hearing only what he wanted to hear.

"What did you say?

"What you heard," Ruby smiled. "You have to be very shameless to force a girl to repeat something like that, but I'll do it. It can't be helped." She brought her mouth next to his ear and whispered, "Do you want me? Yes or no."

Jaune looked at her from top to bottom, but he already knew the answer. He had known it from the first time he saw her, though he had tried to hide that fact even from himself. He felt a knot in his stomach, the heavy chain of shame. In other words, yes, he wanted her with all his soul. Her beauty was otherworldly. Who would not desire her?

"You are all I desire."

Ruby blinked once. Then she moved with blinding speed, no, beyond that, much more, with a speed that was impossible to achieve without the aid of a Semblance, and she spun to straddle him.

Jaune tried to back off, but there was no room. Nor desire within him.

Ruby leaned over until he could feel her breath on his skin, until tufts of her hair brushed his nose, until he could feel her small breasts crushed against his chest.

It was incredible what perspective did. Her silver eyes, ordinarily only spellbinding and beautiful, became everything to him. Yes, everything. He could not look away. And her hair, cascading over her face, covering her like a soft curtain, seemed blacker than the darkness among the stars. And its red tips, as intense as lava tunnels.

"No, Ruby. I am not the person you want me to be. And there's no chance of me becoming it."

"I'm not asking you for the world, Jaune, not even your heart. Just... a small sacrifice."

"You mean a leap of faith."

"Call it what you will," she said slowly and after a while, and kissed him.

Jaune was paralyzed. He didn't know how to respond. Something was missing, no matter how much he wanted it not to, no matter how much Ruby said otherwise, something was missing. That is why he look for it within her. In her lips, warm and soft. In her tongue, just as clumsy as his. In her caresses full of desire. In her hands, nervous but skilful.

This, _she_ , was what he wanted. But he didn't feel a bit different.

Perhaps salvation was beyond his reach. Or worse, it had not been in the past, but it was already too late.

"I'm scared." Jaune started crying. "I'm so scared."

"Let go of your fear. You'll never be alone again," she promised once more, squeezing one of his hands.

* * *

Hands, small and clearly feminine, came out of the darkness and stopped on his neck. The woman behind the darkness strangled him with them, her incredible strength took his breath away.

He opened his eyes wide.

He struggled to breathe, but that was the only resistance he could put up.

His body was like the toy of a child. And now that the girl had grown tired of him, he could easily be broken and disposed of. A life like his, shaped by another person's hands, was worthless and meaningless. So the world would lose nothing when he closed his eyes for the last time.

He just wanted to disappear.

At that very moment, the soul left his body and he could see everything from a different perspective. Himself, eyes wide open, a smile on his face and tears drying on his cheeks. And the woman. Summer. A living corpse. A nest of worms that did not conserve even a modicum of her former beauty.

Seeing that he would gratefully die, that he would welcome that with open arms, she let him go.

* * *

"Jaune, come on, wake up. It's time to go."

He opened his eyes. Where was he? What was going on?

He lifted his head, still half asleep. His eyes were blurred, he could only see shapes. The person in front of him must have been Ruby, because of the voice. He blinked several times. He wiped his tears with the back of his hands. Even then he could not see well enough, but just enough to know that he had fallen asleep in class. And that the others were gone.

He tried to remember what had happened before that, what the class was about and where they had to go now, if they had to. He was not able to.

He had a headache. His forehead was beaded with sweat.

"Jaune, are you all right?" Ruby asked, getting closer to him to take a good look at him.

His breathing got out of control, but only partly because of the closeness of the person he loved. He had the strange and overwhelming sensation that he was still asleep, that this was also part of the nightmare. There was something strange in Ruby's eyes. Something inhuman. And the walls, were they not writhing as if they were melting?

"You're scaring me."

Jaune took a deep breath. Everything slowly went back to normal.

"I'm fine. I just had a nightmare."

Ruby's heart dropped visibly. As if she was the one to blame for his suffering, and not the other way around.

She was such a kind and selfless person that it was possible that she had convinced herself that nonsense was true.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry. You're not to blame for anything."

"I know. But still, I'm sorry. You shouldn't be going through this. My mother was a good person until the end, but she left you a burden too heavy to bear, and I can't look away from that.

Jaune rose from his seat.

"Too much for a seven-year-old, perhaps. But I am already a man."

"But..."

"Please don't insist." He clenched his teeth. "Don't you understand that you're trying to snatch away the only thing that holds me up? Without my mission, I will fall into a deep abyss. And I may never feel the sunlight on my face again."

Ruby stroked his cheek.

"Isn't my love enough?"

Jaune forgot how to breathe properly.

"That was not what I meant."

"You remember what we did last night, don't you?" Ruby's face gained the same tone as his hood. "At that time, we were not a maiden and her knight, we were not students, not even friends. Just a boy and a girl. That's enough. It's proof enough that we can be connected without something like an old promise in between us."

Jaune closed his eyes.

What they did last night should be etched into his mind, but his memories of it were blurred and distant, like images of an old dream. He could say if it would be better if he had dreamed that or not.

"Jaune..."

He opened his eyes again.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe... maybe even now I deserve to be happy."

Ruby's smile widened. The glow returned to her silver eyes.

"Of course you do." She put his hands on his chest and squeezed, twisting the fabric of the shirt into a ball. "Of course you do," she repeated, her voice trembling. "You are human and you deserve to be happy. We deserve to be happy. Don't ever forget that."

They went out of class together, holding hands. Two young people in love. Two young people like any other. They were still attracting attention. Partly because of Ruby's beauty, partly because of the skill she must have had if she had entered Beacon two years earlier than normal, and partly because he didn't match, they weren't what you would call the perfect couple. They were nothing like each other.

She didn't care about their stares. Nor about what they'll think.

Two young, normal people in love.

In another time and another place, maybe that could have been their true story. A wonderful and beautiful place like a meadow inundated with sunlight. But he couldn't spend his life thinking about what might have been.

Which reminded him of a 'little' detail.

"Humm, Ruby?"

She looked at him with a big smile, which showed her teeth.

"What's up?"

Jaune scratched his left ear.

"Well, when we did that, I didn't... you know, and I finished inside. Do you think you'll be all right? You didn't notice anything strange?"

Ruby blushed.

"I don't know. I didn't feel sick this morning. There's no way of knowing if I'm... pregnant or not so soon, I think. But hopefully not. I don't want to have children." She lowered her head, went quiet. "At least not while I'm still at the academy."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't make that face, will you? I wanted it too. I got carried away too. And it was right and beautiful, a moment worth remembering. Let's leave it at that."

"All right."

Ruby squeezed his hand again.

"Yeah. Everything will be fine."

* * *

Jaune suddenly stopped. His instinct had informed him that something was wrong. Then his eyes went to work to find out what it was. Slowly and carefully, they passed through the faces of the people he could call friends, and the girl he loved.

There was silence at the table, but not a kind and warm silence, but a heavy one. Yes, something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. Could it be...?

"What's going on here?" Jaune asked in a quiet voice.

The occupants of the table moved their heads to look at him, they reacted as if they had just noticed his presence. Ruby did not move. Her head was bowed, eyes fixed on the table.

Something bad. Very bad.

A chill ran down his back.

Jaune sat down in his seat, leaving the tray on the table, trying hard not to notice his hands were trembling.

I am going to be a father. He thought the idea would bring him joy, or at least some sort of satisfaction. He was wrong. It only increased the intensity of his tremors, it only managed to weld his throat.

Someone like him as a father? What a bad joke.

"What's going on here?" The boy repeated a little more strongly.

Ruby finally looked at him. She opened his eyes wide. Until now, she hadn't realized he was there. Another bad sign. He tried to think of other possible explanations.

"Nothing. It's all right."

"Your eyes are not very convincing. And your friends aren't even trying to pretend that everything is fine. I suggest you follow his example. It would be best for everyone."

"Okay, something's wrong. But I won't tell you what it's all about."

"Just me?" He couldn't hide the pain in his voice.

"To nobody, but especially not to you."

Jaune was silent for a while, trying to process those harsh words and get closer to the truth. He had stopped deluding himself that Ruby was pregnant. The problem was different.

"You said we can be connected without an old promise in between us, and this is how you show it. If the only thing you're willing to give me is your body, let's end this. This is not what I wanted."

Someone hit the table.

He glanced sideways. Yang. As expected of her

"You did what?" She asked, clenching her teeth like a wild animal. "I'm going to kill you."

"Shut up, Yang," Ruby ordered. "Because of you everyone is watching. Don't make this harder for me than it already is, will you?" She looked at him again. "Every word I said, I meant it. I love you, Jaune, and I'm willing to give you anything. But I love you precisely because I know you very well. So my lips will remain sealed. I hope that, in time, you will come to understand it and be able to forgive me."

"You're the one who has to understand. Forgive you? I am not the kind of person who can reproach you for anything. Even if you betrayed me, even if you killed me with your own hands, I wouldn't even be able to feel anything like resentment toward you."

Ruby smiled sweetly.

"I know. That's the problem. "

Jaune put a hand to his head. It hurt. A lot.

"Tell me, what can I say to her?" he whispered, 'When someone finally kills me and these creatures drag me down to hell, what kind of excuse can I give her? That I was too weak? That I surrendered without resistance because what really matters to me is not duty, but to please you?"

Ruby bit her lower lip. She bowed his head.

"That's not fair."

"The truth is the truth. Justice, injustice, good and evil... It has nothing to do with that." He knelt at her feet, like a man waiting to be knighted, or like a knight before his princess, and took her hands in his own. "Someone has hurt you. And you don't want to tell me because you are afraid I will kill him, right?"

Ruby was quiet for a long time.

"That's right. Don't even try to pretend you wouldn't be able to. I know you too well."

"I would do it. And it wouldn't be the first time I've killed a being who's not a Grimm. But remember: I'm not free. To me, your word is law. All you have to say is "don't kill," whoever that person is, whatever they did, and I won't do it."

Ruby looked him in the eye for the first time since the start of this conversation.

"Cardin." She sighed. "Cardin and his team have been bullying me. For weeks now. Since... As you can imagine, since shortly after the fight you had with him."

Those words made his blood freeze. They were like a declaration of death. Not for those children, but for him.

Weeks, and he hadn't noticed anything.

 _Useless. You're fucking useless!_

"Why? I know how strong, fast and skillful you are. Not even the four of them together can stand up to you."

Maybe it was a mistake to say that. Ruby gripped her skirt tightly. Her hands were shaking. Maybe because fear, maybe anger. Most likely it was both.

"I know. Do you think I don't know? It's humiliating. I'm not a child anymore. I don't live with fear and insecurity. I don't look to see if there's a monster under the bed every time I go to sleep. My job is to fight real monsters. I'm good at it. In fact, I'm better than most. And yet, when I have to face another human being... When I have to deal with teasing, pushing, and harsh voices, my legs tremble, my heart stops, and I can't say a word. And yet..."

Jaune wiped Ruby's tears with his fingertips. Affectionately.

He didn't feel like himself at all. He had the strange sensation that his body belonged to someone else and he was just borrowing it.

"Don't cry. And don't worry. I'll finish this today."

He looked around.

Cardin was looking at them.

Smiling openly, like a king watching the death of some homeless people by the side of the road. He believed he was in control.

That did not last long.

His horrible sense of satisfaction turned to concern. That was to be expected. He had seen his true face, one he had not even shown Ruby.

The face of an animal. A creature, much to his regret recently, no less brutal and savage than the Grimm.

Jaune stood and made his way to Cardin.

"What do you intend to do?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry."

Cardin smiled crookedly and strode out to meet him. Jaune realized he was a little taller than he was, even if only by a little. This bothered him. He could feel his breath. This made him furious, for it meant he was still breathing. He did not deserve to live.

"What is it, Jauney boy?"

"Right after recess we have class with Goodwitch. Then you'll face me. If you're not only capable of hurting a girl who doesn't even want to fight you, that is."

Cardin's eyes narrowed.

"As you wish."

"I'll give you one last warning. I am a monster. There is no one who can stop me, much less someone like you. Whatever happens, I always stand back up. I just keep moving forward. So surrender. Kneel and beg for forgiveness. Stop the blustering, you know you don't have a choice; you'll only succeed in getting humiliated by me in public for the second time."

Cardin laughed. "Excuse me, so I have to humiliate myself to avoid humiliation? In what world does that make sense?"

"Your defeat will be more humiliating. I will make sure of that."

"Stop it already. It's pathetic how you're trying to intimidate me. It's not that simple, you know? I'm not a little kid, and ours isn't going to be a schoolyard squabble. I'm a monster, I'll kill you... Is that all you know how to say? For your information, I haven't been resting on my laurels in the last few weeks. I have prepared myself and..."

"Shut your mouth. Preparing? Is that what you call harassing a person who is too kind to give you what you deserve?"

Cardin frowned.

"Just so you know, I didn't do that because I thought I couldn't get back at you properly. Don't misunderstand me. That day, you made fun of me in every way, at no point did you fight seriously, and yet you were able to defeat me. It's the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to me. I can't forgive you for that. And all the students in this academy know which button to push if they want to make you angry."

"I see. You know what? Congratulations, you've done it. The next time we meet, I'll crush you like the insect you are. I'll make sure you won't dare to raise your head in my presence anymore, that this fight, if you can call it that, will be the last one."

"It's as if you've read my mind, Jauney boy."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

It has taken me longer than I thought, but I have finally reached the starting line of this story. This is kind of a spoiler, I suppose, but the next part will be a big turning point. I can't wait to write it.

Or rather, rewrite it. And then translate it. But well.

As I said —more or less— the last time I updated, I would appreciate it if any Beta Reader wanted to work with me on this project.


	9. Chapter Two - IV

**IV**

Jaune could not look away from Cardin.

It was not the first time that he watched him as he climbed into the arena, clad in his armor and brandishing his weapon of choice, that heavy mace. He had the sensation that time had not advanced since then. Or rather, that it had turned back, wrapping around itself.

He did not like that feeling. There was a knot in his throat and a strange sensation in his mouth, as if he had vomited recently.

He clenched his teeth. Somehow he managed to make that the only external sign of the feelings that boiled inside him. He didn't want Goodwitch to realize that this was something personal and cancel the fight for fear that it would escalate. Crushing Cardin in a private duel would not be the same as a humiliating second defeat in front of all the first-year students.

No, why was he talking like he was half asleep? Beyond what logic dictated, there was a simple and honest reason: he craved to see the pain on his face when that happened.

Cardin stepped up in front of him. He passed his mace from one hand to another absently. He seemed like a clumsy guy, among other things, so he was surprised he didn't drop it. As he did so, Jaune noticed something that had not been there before. At some point since his first defeat, Cardin had installed a Dust port on the weapon, allowing him to make use of the types he had. He had to suppress the urge to laugh.

"Do you think that's going to change anything?" Jaune asked. "If you think it's so easy to beat me, that something like that is enough to turn the tables, you're wrong."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that. At this point, words are unnecessary."

Jaune smiled wildly.

"I agree."

He jumped up, hurling himself at him like a bullet. He had chosen to leave the shield behind, for it was but a fragment of an old dream, so he held the sword with both hands. The blade cut through the air. To his surprise, Cardin moved quickly enough to stop the strike.

Flames swallowed the head of the mace. Jaune leapt back cautiously. He should not have bothered. They disappeared in the blink of an eye. Like a spark, not a bonfire. It made sense. Cardin did not have an unlimited arsenal, obviously, and fire was the type of Dust that burned energy most quickly. Even someone as foolish as his opponent understood that he had to be careful when using it.

Grasping the mace with both hands, Cardin spun it over his head and the weapon fell towards Jaune's head with force and speed.

Jaune stopped each and every strike without much effort.

He had to admit that Cardin had great physical strength, but his arms did not falter. And he did not retreat.

He heard a click. Cardin had just changed the type of Dust, but there was nothing to indicate which one he had changed to, the port was not transparent. He crushed the ground with his mallet. The blow activated the mechanism, apparently, and, turning the weapon like the baton of an orchestra conductor, directed the flow of water through the air toward him.

He lifted his sword and both arms. The wall of water crashed into his body like a battering ram. His legs shook, but he stood firm. He hated the sensation of cold water on his skin, running through his hair.

When the current dried out, he saw Cardin flying through the air, holding the mace with both hands to crush him.

He deliberately stepped aside at the last moment, and took advantage of the confusion and surprise to slash him from the right cheek down to his chest. The attack did not penetrate his aura, but it made a dent in his armor. A section fell to the ground in pieces.

Cardin let out a groan and retreated quickly, staggering slightly as if he had inflicted a deadly wound on him.

There was not a drop of blood in the air, but he could almost smell that sweet, thick, overwhelming smell.

Jaune threw his head back and chuckled. A rich sound and a touch of innocence that sounded strange even to his own ears.

Cardin looked at him as if he wanted to strangle him.

Jaune lunged forward, wielding the blade with one hand. This attack was indeed blocked, but he came close to making the mace slip through his fingers. With that he confirmed that the internal mechanism was triggered by impacts. It was old-fashioned junk, surely the best he could have purchased on short notice, or in general.

But it didn't matter that he knew that. Even if he avoided colliding weapons with him, it was enough for Cardin to hit the ground, as he had done before, to make use of the full potential of his weapon.

They exchanged attacks and defenses without the slightest elegance, without a trace of technique. The only thing that drove his sword now was rage. Sparks, water and fire flew between them. Very close.

It was hot. He was melting.

Absurd as that idea was, he was afraid to look down and see that it was true, that the skin was slipping out, revealing the grotesque flesh. Or whatever his insides were made of.

Their weapons crossed.

He hated to admit it, but he could not defeat Cardin in a contest of strength as he was now. So he wouldn't even try to do that. Taking advantage of the position they were in, he planted his feet on the ground with force and executed a spin, hoping to remove the mace from his hands. He came close to it, but Cardin resisted.

The spikes of the mace brushed the ground, producing unpleasant sounds. Jaune was several times faster, and the maneuver had left him in a more advantageous position, so this farce was going to end in a few seconds.

They swung their weapons for the last time. Cardin's face reflected the truth: he knew that he wasn't going to be fast enough.

Summer's face appeared on the edge of his sword. It was only for an instant, but he was left paralyzed, he couldn't even move a muscle.

The force of the impact threw him flying backwards, far away, he did not fall out of the arena for a few inches.

When he fell to the ground, he realized that the attack had crushed his armor and chest. In other words, his aura had failed him at the worst moment. He noticed the taste of blood in his mouth, his own blood. There was nothing sweet about it. He twisted his head and vomited to one side, avoiding drowning. What came out was more blood, not bile.

A sepulchral silence dominated the classroom. Frost and fear in the faces of the people around him, which were like clay statues. A thick curtain of blood covered his vision. He opened and closed his eyes several times. It was an improvement, but his vision was still hazy and the light from the ceiling seemed to avoid him.

 _I didn't want it to end like this_ , he thought.

* * *

"Jaune!"

Ruby jumped down from the stands, she didn't want to waste even a second, and landed next to Jaune. The rose petals fluttered in the air, then fell around him and on his body. One covered his lips. It was a disturbing image, as if she had prepared a grave for him, a bed of rose petals in which to rest eternally.

This cannot be happening, no, it is not possible, she said to herself again and again as she held him in her arms and skillfully removed part of his armor. Her face became white like milk. She squeezed his hands with her own, small and trembling.

She felt as alone and frightened as when she found out that her mother would never come back home anymore.

At that time, she had been so young that she didn't even understand what death was. Now she did. But would that make this easier?

No. No way.

"Don't be afraid. You'll be all right, Jaune. You have... you have to stay with me. Don't close your eyes!"

Jaune pressed his lips into a thin line and moved them carefully. Was he trying to say something?

"What is it?!" Ruby asked, bringing one ear close to his mouth.

"Don't... look at me."

Suddenly she recoiled, astonished.

"What do you say?" Her voice was shaking. "I promised you, didn't I? That we'd always be together. If it has to end like this, then I'll be with you till the end."

She heard Goodwitch call the infirmary staff distantly, as if the voice came from another room, or perhaps from a world far and completely different from her own. Or so it seemed to her. All the sounds that were exploding around her had lost their coherence. The only sure thing was Jaune's hard heartbeat, which she could feel in the hand she had on his chest, and his desperate breathing.

To her astonishment, Jaune somehow found the strength to stand. She could not believe it. He gently pushed her hands away and took a staggering step forward. His arm and right hand were wet with blood, yet he had not dropped his sword. It was as if he intended to keep fighting. As if this fight still had meaning at this point.

Ruby ran to him and put her hands on his shoulders, trying to make him stop.

"That's enough! Don't you understand that you are..." She swallowed. She couldn't finish the sentence. She had the horrible feeling that saying 'that' word would seal his fate.

Jaune looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She startled. His eyes were usually blue, but now the one eye visible between his bangs was so white that it seemed like it had no pupil. All of this had to be part of a strange nightmare.

"Don't look at me," he repeated with a little more force.

One more step. Not towards the future, but towards death. She imagined his organs spilling out the wound in his stomach because of the movement. Jaune took off his shirt, for some reason. He did not get very far. He fell to his knees, on his own blood.

"Don't look at me," Jaune insisted.

Why? She was about to ask him that, but she didn't have to. She received an answer shortly afterwards.

Jaune threw his head back and let out a noise that sounded like the last roar of the earth.

* * *

The pain was unbearable. Every cell in his body was on fire. But he didn't even feel his shattered chest anymore, or the overwhelming feeling of lacking oxygen. This agony came from the death and reconstruction of his body. It was the key needed to get through that door. He did not want to cross it. Not now, in front of Ruby's eyes. But he had no choice.

His body was no longer his body. And to say that he possessed a will of his own would be a lie. _I've always been a slave to something, haven't I? Even long before the promise._

So he threw his head back and roared as if he were vomiting his soul. Which, in a way, was true. The skin on his back split in four places, through which spider-like legs protruded, only much longer and thicker. Leaning on the ground with them, he managed to stand up once more.

No, that was only partly true. Summer's ghost was pushing him forward, refusing to let him die. He could feel it.

Cardin seemed horrified. Despite all his bravado, the typical threats of a bully, he was still a stupid child. His rage, his determination, everything, everything was false and soft, a shadow of true emotions.

He did not care. One way or another he was going to make him pay for his mistakes.

He lunged at Cardin like a tiger, pulling him out of the arena and smashing him into the nearest wall. He stopped him from moving by nailing the tips of his legs close to his head, neck and torso. If he wanted to escape that trap, he would have to destroy himself, for the legs were as sharp as razor wire. He would have done it without hesitation. Whatever it took to survive. But, as he had said before, Cardin was only a child. And as such, he became a slave to fear. How regrettable.

But that was not going to save his life.

"I'm sorry," said Cardin in a low, almost mournful voice. It didn't sound like a plea for his life. But what did that matter now?

Jaune twisted his neck and ripped his head off. The blood gushed out, flew everywhere. The floor, the walls, on him. Jaune opened his mouth and drank as if were dying of thirst. He smiled with red lips like a woman's and teeth smeared with blood.

He threw the body aside. It landed between the bleachers, causing the frightened crowd to finally move. But to escape, not to attack.

Jaune heard a crack. His instinct made him turn in time to see Goodwitch's whip crossing the air, heading towards him, like a bullet fired from a cannon. He prepared himself.

Ruby got in the middle of them. She was unarmed, so she could only stop the blow with her own body. She gasped in pain and fell on her knees. The red mark on one of her cheeks made his blood boil.

Ruby turned her head to look at him. She looked shocked, but not in pain. He thought she had acted on instinct, just like him before.

"Please stop this."

Jaune looked away. He could not stand the way those silver eyes he loved so much were looking at him now. Nor her words of pain. But there was no turning back.

He arched his back, extended his arms as if he wanted to embrace the sky, and roared. The roar echoed within the walls of the classroom like the aftershock of an earthquake.

His eyes scanned the retreating crowd. In their haste, the students were only hindering each other. He spotted one of the members of CRDL who were still alive.

He jumped. He landed on the stands and ran instantly. The reach and strength of the spider legs greatly increased his speed, the kid had no chance of slipping away. He rose from the ground, having been trampled by several students. He turned around. Seeing him approaching, he clenched his teeth and lifted a dagger in each hand. They looked like toys.

The boy whose name he didn't even remember didn't try to beg, he just attacked. Once again, Jaune was faster. He pierced his chest with two legs, using the remaining legs to maintain balance despite his injuries. It was as easy as that, as if he had no aura to protect him.

Concentration was required to keep ones aura stable, and fear had taken that away from him, as well as the chance to save his life.

His enemy's blood was like a purifying rain. Jaune closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation, forgetting for long moments where he was, what he felt, forgetting the pain of his wounds, which were disappearing, but slowly. Something struck him, he opened his eyes suddenly. He grabbed the railing to avoid falling.

Goodwitch's whip, once again. Persistent whore. Didn't she realize that he had no interest in fighting her, that he only wanted to massacre the two remaining pigs? Why did she get in his way?

 _Kill them_ , Summer's voice resounded inside his skull like a bell. _Don't let even one of them escape._

Goodwitch was coming, and fast, but he didn't really care about that. He took one last look at Ruby, who was stunned and kneeling on one side of the arena. Her eyes were empty. There was no sign of her feelings. Not a twisted face, not the gleam of tears, not even a slight trembling of the lips.

Jaune clenched his teeth and ran out of there.

Jaune was running through the corridors like a wild animal. The students, supposedly trained to be protectors of humanity, invariably fled before him, running in the opposite direction or slamming the door of the bedroom shut after going out to see what all the fuss was about.

He caught a student, circling her waist with one of his front legs, and dragged the girl behind him to make the teachers think twice before attacking him. She was unarmed, so the student was a helpless prisoner, she could only try to open the leg with her bare hands. And that's what she did, she didn't lack courage. Without looking, he smashed her against a wall with all his strength, to disorientate her and weaken her resistance. The cracks spread through the wall like the threads of a spider's web.

A little further on, he threw the student against a window. He slid beneath her and between the rain of broken glass while she fell, and made use of the spider legs to maintain his balance as he rose to his feet.

He kept running.

He had lost sight of the other two members, and had no chance of killing them. At least not if he wanted to escape with his life. Summer would never forgive him if he died without keeping his promise.

Jaune slipped on his own blood and fell to his knees in the grass. He gathered the strength to stand. For a moment he thought he had made it, but he fell again.

He punched the ground several times, as if something so insignificant could alleviate, if only a little, his anger and frustration.

"Damn it," he muttered. "If it's going to end like this, why have I survived all this time?"

He realized he was crying, and he felt like laughing at himself. The monster, at the end of his suffering, could do nothing but complain about his fate.

Wheezing like a dog, he turned around to take a look at those who would be his executioners. Goodwitch, Port and Peach. Ozpin came from behind them. He knew he was strong, but not how he fought, what were the capabilities of that cane. He was at a disadvantage in every way.

Although it seemed like there was no hope, he had to keep fighting. Otherwise, he would never see Ruby's sweet face again. He couldn't even be able to remember her.

"Step aside," Ozpin said. "I'll take care of this."

Jaune laughed. Wounded and covered in blood from head to toe, he stood up. The memory of Ruby's smile made it possible.

"But headmaster..."

"That's an order." The teachers no longer protested, they moved aside. Ozpin looked at him. "Are you still in there, Jaune Arc?"

He was on all fours. His other legs rose above his back like the wings of some strange creature that lived only in myths. He did not reply. He did not know how to do it. And even if he did, would that make him spare his life? No way. He, who seemed to be a Grimm that could take human form, was a monster that had to die.

But I will not make it easy for you, bastard.

"I'm sorry," Ozpin said. He didn't know if it was true or not.

Jaune ran towards him. He would have called this a miracle, if he believed in miracles. He stopped a few feet away. He planted his feet on the ground with enough strength to create cracks beneath them. The spider legs cut through the air like swords, each moving in a different direction. And, at the same time, he executed a overhead strike with Crocea Mors. It was like a hammer working in the forge. Like thunder falling.

Somehow, Ozpin managed to stop each and every one of his attacks, the legs with his cane and the sword with the tip of one finger. Jaune stared. Not even in his worst nightmares would he have imagined that the difference between him and the headmaster was so enormous.

Even if he were lucky enough to beat that monster, the teachers would finish him off before he could do anything else.

In his current state, at least.

Yes, he thought he had lost it all that day, ten years ago, but his heart knew he could still sacrifice something else: the illusion of humanity with which he covered himself like an old blanket. His face twisted like that of a dying beast. He opened his mouth, clenched his teeth.

* * *

A white ghost staggered among the intense snowfall, which seemed to be in the process of burying the world. The holes left by her boots were filled in a matter of seconds. The wind was cold as steel against her neck, causing the cloak to spread its wings behind her. It was easy to miss, but the woman carried a child in her arms. And she was bleeding, mortally wounded.

No one knew how much she had run and struggled to get here, but she would go no further. She collapsed, and the child fell with her. The wind howled louder for a few seconds, as if something beyond human comprehension was celebrating that woman's imminent death.

The boy pulled his arms out, grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. What if she didn't open her eyes again? What if...?

He realized she was still alive, albeit barely. She looked at him with eyes blurred by pain and blood loss. Although he still had no words for it, only certain associated images came to him, the boy understood at that very moment that everything was over. His savior, whose name he did not know, smiled at him with a pale face and bloodstained lips.

"Hey," she muttered, wrapping him in her arms, in her thick, warm cloak. And in the smell of blood. "Your name is... Jaune, right?

The boy nodded.

"I can't continue," she admitted, "but you shouldn't have any problems. Get up and walk in a straight line. Very soon..." She stopped suddenly, coughed several times and swallowed. A thread of blood slipped between her lips and down her chin. "Very soon you will see a town, a safe and warm place."

"Come with me."

The woman smiled sweetly.

"I can't. I can't even walk anymore."

"I'll carry you." He knew he didn't have the strength for that, but he said it anyway. He had the strange sensation that his chest was a panel of glass, that his furious heartbeats would end up shattering it.

"Hush, Jaune. Please listen to me. I need you to promise me something. Can you do that?"

"First tell me your name."

A second passed. The woman squeezed him harder.

"Summer Rose."

Summer. The symbol of rebirth, like the dawn. No wonder she was so beautiful. Her silver eyes, although blurred, were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in her life.

"I have a daughter," she continued. "Her name is Ruby, and she's what matters most to me in this world. You must protect her in my place. No matter what happens."

"I'm sorry."

Summer caressed the top of his head.

"Don't worry. I don't regret saving you, and an ending like this is good in its own way. I wish... I wish I could have said goodbye to my family. But it's too late for that." She covered his mouth with one hand. "Promise me, Jaune. You have to promise me."

"Don't leave me alone. I will protect her for the rest of my life, so close your eyes and rest. Summer, I'll bring help."

She put one hand on his back, gently.

"Ah, if only I could have said goodbye..."

"Don't talk like that. Don't talk like..."

She looked him in the eye.

"Go. Go and..."

She suddenly fell silent.

"Summer?"

Silence. The wind howled, shaking the world.

* * *

Jaune roared like a wild animal, out of anger and pain. He grew mandibles like that of a spider, slowly and painfully. Blood and fragments of broken bone flew away.

He pushed with all his might, but it was not enough. A crack spread across the sword. Seconds later it exploded in his hands, and he flew backwards. The fragments of his family's only memento shone in the sunlight like sparks from a bonfire before falling with him. Blood continued to run down his face, mixed with the bitter tears.

Ozpin approached him. He had not even managed to scratch him. The sun shone over his head, turning his face into an inhuman shadow.

"Tell me, are you a creation of Salem?" He calmly asked, as if nothing of importance had happened. What the hell was he talking about? "No, it doesn't matter. Even if that's the truth, you wouldn't know it. I don't know who you really are, but again, I'm sorry. I promise it won't hurt. That it will be very fast."

He took one more step. He stopped and looked to the side. He had felt something. Jaune as well. The broken pieces of his blade were expelling a fog, and that fog gathered and formed a ghost right in front of him.

Ozpin was paralyzed. The cane slipped between his fingers, rolled over the grass. He staggered backwards, fell to his knees.

"This can't be happening," he muttered to himself.

Yang grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back, restraining her. Ruby resisted with all her might.

"Let me go!"

"If you do go out there, he'll kill you. Don't you understand? He's a monster."

Ruby looked at her. Yang froze. It wasn't the first time someone had looked at her with rage, but the first time she had done it with total seriousness.

"Shut up," she spat. "You don't know what you're talking about. He fought to protect me; he's doing that even now. It's all he wants and all he can do. He would never hurt me. Not me. And I am the only person who can stop this."

Yang grabbed her other shoulder and slammed her against a wall. Her hair light on fire, her eyes became red like blood.

"What are you doing? Have you gone crazy?"

"That's my line. Listen, Ruby, he's not the only person who wants to protect you. And if by doing I make you hate me, so be it. But I won't let you end up like the others."

Ruby scrambled to get away, but it was useless. She knew from the beginning that she could not beat her sister in that. Though she also knew that Yang wished her no harm, it was oppressive and terrifying. She bowed her head.

"Let me go, please."

"When all this is over."

"I beg of you. He is all that's left of mom."

Yang opened her eyes wide.

"What did you say?"

Ruby took advantage of the momentary hesitation to slip away and run. The fight with Ozpin had ended with Jaune's defeat. If she didn't hurry, he would die before her eyes. She would have to hold him while he bled to death. No, no, anything but that. Anything but that.

That day, ten years ago, she thought she had lost everything. She had found strength to continue in the memory of her mother and the idea that her life from now on would be like a tribute to her, a way to honor her. That, and no other, was her reason for living. And now the boy his mother had died to save was in danger.

How could she allow such an atrocity? How could she remain a observer and wait for the end? As far as she was concerned, it was as if they were thinking of desecrating her mother's body.

No matter what happened, even if she had to sacrifice everything she had, she would protect him. If her determination meant becoming the enemy of the world, she would accept that as her destiny.

* * *

Summer knelt on the floor, covering him with the white cloak that lurked in his nightmares. Jaune barely noticed that. He felt like he was already dead.

"Jaune! Jaune!" Ruby's voice made his heartbeat speed up. He couldn't believe it, but it wasn't just his imagination, she was getting closer and was worried about him. She didn't hate him.

Ruby suddenly stopped. For a moment, mother and daughter crossed glances again.

"Mom?"

Summer vanished like morning mist, leaving no trace. That exposed him. Jaune screamed.

"Don't look at me!" He crawled backwards, trying to cover himself with his hands, while the metamorphosis of his body progressed inexorably. He was unable to control himself. "Please don't look at me. I don't want you to see me like this."

"Ruby, get away," Ozpin said. "He's dangerous."

She nailed him to the spot with her gaze. Sparks of anger danced in her silver eyes, the omen of a fire. She moved on. Jaune stepped back and stopped before he fell headlong down the cliff. He turned his head to take a glance. The endless blue sky stretched beneath him, the clouds seemed to traverse invisible rails through that expanse.

"Don't be afraid," Ruby muttered. She knelt in front of him. He put his hands on top of his and pushed them down. He knew what he must look like, drenched in blood, turned into a kind of humanoid spider. The deep wounds on his cheeks, which left his teeth visible at all times, completed the effect of a monster in a horror movie. Yet her smile did not fade, nor did she tremble even a little. "Look at me. I am here with you, I always will be."

"I lied to you." His voice sounded distorted, inhuman.

"So what? I haven't told you some things either. That's how the world works, your silence is not a crime."

"But that..."

"It doesn't matter." She squeezed his hands. "Only the two of us matter, okay? You and me. Take me hostage."

"What are you...?"

"It's the only way to escape with your life, and you know it." She let go of his hands. "Do it."

Jaune looked into her eyes for a long time. Despite his horrible appearance, she didn't look away either and didn't show a shred of disgust. It was almost as if nothing had changed.

He had to lean on her to stand. He put his legs together and lifted them behind his back, so that Ozpin and the others would not see the movement and had no reason to suspect.

"Thank you," she said. Raising her voice, she added, "I'm glad you've come to your senses."

Jaune set himself in motion. Ozpin moved to intervene, but by then it was too late. He wrapped her with his spider legs. One around the waist, one near the chest, the next against her neck.

"You son of a bitch!" Yang screamed. She looked ready to attack him, despite everything. But she didn't.

He placed a blood-stained hand, like the rest of his body, on Ruby's chin, leaving red marks on her porcelain skin.

"Jaune, don't be stupid." She acted well, even under pressure. He expected nothing less of her. "What good will this do?"

Ruby resisted weakly, and he exerted force with his legs. It had to look real.

"I'm satisfied with surviving for the moment. After that... after... I'll think about it when the time comes. Don't take another step, Ozpin. If you try anything, I'll kill her."

"I don't believe you."

"Because I love her? That's true." He looked at Ruby. She looked back at him. "That's why, if she can't be mine, she won't belong to anyone."

Jaune jumped backwards into the void.

He heard gasps, sobs, and a scream before they disappeared amid the clouds.

* * *

"What the fuck are you thinking?" It was the first thing Ruby shouted, without a shred of shame, as soon as she recovered her voice. The wind took her words away, but she was sure Jaune heard her.

"Don't speak; you'll bite your tongue. And I need to focus."

Ruby remained silent and trusted him. Jaune surrounded her with his arms. After a while that seemed to last forever, something appeared in her peripheral vision. Huge, black wings, like those of a Nevermore. The spider legs were gone. Surely he had used them as material to build the wings.

Jaune took flight, executed a quick, sudden twist that formed a knot in her stomach. She covered her mouth with one hand. She thought she was going to vomit, but she did not.

"Have you ever dreamed of flying following the horizon, without destination, without stopping?" His inhuman voice was tinged with a very human pain.

Ruby didn't know how to respond. He was talking about something different from what he was saying, as usual.

They flew silently for miles. The wind swirled her hair, caressed her cheeks. Vale soon extended under them. From that height, the houses seemed about their size and the people small and dark like splashes of blood. She imagined Jaune fainting or losing strength in his arms, dropping her. Without her Crescent Rose, she could do nothing to avoid the fall, and her aura would not save her. She clung to him tighter.

Jaune stopped suddenly. The wings stretched out behind him like uneven halves of a ragged cloak. Ruby maintained her silence.

He moved just as suddenly again, plummeting toward Vale, wings retracted close to his body. They landed in some alley. Jaune released her. His wings collapsed. The wind carried away the feathers scattered everywhere, it made for a beautiful spectacle.

Jaune fell to his knees and vomited blood.

"Shit." She crouched in front of him and... and nothing. What could she do for him?

"Don't worry," he said, his face red and covered with sweat. "It looks bad, but my wounds are healing. I'm not going to die in a place like this." He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "Go. Go back to where you belong. It won't be difficult for them to believe that you managed to escape from me."

"Jaune..." She swallowed.

"Why are you looking at me with those eyes? You shouldn't worry about me. I am a monster. "

"That's not true." She placed one hand on his heart and the other on one shoulder. "The only thing that has changed is the way you look. I can still hear the love and kindness in your voice. I can still hear you.

Jaune lifted his head and closed his eyes. One of the last black feathers passed over them at that very moment.

"Kindness," he repeated slowly, as if it were the first time he had heard the word.

"Let me go with you."

He looked into her eyes.

"They won't allow me to live. You know that. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to take you hostage. I'll spend the rest of my life hiding like a rat. If you come with me, you'd have to do the same. You, who only dreams of protecting the people, fighting against other human beings. No." He shook his head gently. "No. You would never be happy like that."

"I don't care."

"You think I don't see the sadness in your eyes?"

Ruby bit her lower lip hard. She tasted blood.

"I love you so much," Jaune said.

"I know." She kissed him. She didn't doubt, despite the blood, despite that the mandibles scraped her skin. It was a clumsy, disgusting and even a little painful kiss. Nothing like the other kisses they had shared. And yet, there she found something that no one else could give her. "I know. I love you too. That's why I'll do what you ask... and I'll make sure they understand that you're not a threat."

Jaune smiled.

"That you can think like that shows you're a better person than me."

Ruby stood up. Sooner or later, the police or maybe some curious citizen would come to the alley to see what was going on. It would be best to disappear before that happened.

"Wait a minute," Jaune said. He grabbed one of the many feathers that had fallen in the alley and got up.

"What's the matter?"

Jaune stroked her right cheek with the feather, which was razor-sharp, drawing a red line along it.

"There. It will be more believable like this."

She nodded.

"Take care of yourself. We'll meet again."

Ruby turned around and ran out of the alley. She remembered Jaune's face, his _true_ face. From there, she would draw the strength to move forward.


	10. Chapter Three - I

**Chapter Three**

 _In which a monster wanders the streets of Vale, hungry and bloodthirsty, chasing shadows. Meanwhile, Ruby picks up the broken glass, cuts herself deeply, several times, the blood flows like a stream. And it begins to seem like there is no hope of putting everything back in its place._

 **I**

Ruby was walking without destination in mind, without thinking, without feeling. The rain fell over everything, making the signs of honest business and others not so honest gleam.

She felt strange, lost, unstable. Although what surrounded her was undoubtedly Vale and she had walked these streets many times, it seemed to her that she was in another city, another time. Maybe even another world. People were spectres behind water curtains.

No one noticed her, she did not notice or call anyone. She was alone. And a substantial part of her was aware that, to some degree, she would feel this way for the rest of her life, because she had lost something she didn't even know she had.

Maybe this was all a dream. Or a glimpse of someone else's life.

Maybe.

From the corner of her eye, she saw something that caught her attention. It should have been a mirror, but the girl who appeared on the surface was a stranger. She looked very much like her, no doubt, to the point that even Yang would have mistaken that girl for her younger sister. But Ruby knew the truth. All the details were subtly different. The smile, the curve of her lips, the glow of her eyes, her expression...

 _Who are you?_ She placed a hand on the crystal, the stranger mirrored her movement. _Who do you think you are?_

She was invaded by the impulse to smash the shop window, but luckily she managed to contain herself, take her eyes off it and run away.

She was a mess, both inside and out. She couldn't think. The inside of her head was like a poorly tuned radio. An atrocious noise that drowned out even the beginnings of clarity filled her head.

Ruby staggered to a bench. She dropped herself on it, threw her head back, and took a deep breath. Curiously, she had not started crying as soon as she separated from Jaune. And even now she did not feel like it. Unfortunately. That would alleviate, if only a little, the sadness that filled her chest and made it hard to breathe.

"Ruby, I'm so glad! You're all right, aren't you? Tell me he didn't hurt you."

"It's all over, Yang," she admitted easily, although she had tried hard to lie to herself about that not so long ago.

"What do you mean? Did you kill that monster?"

"Don't call him that!" she shouted with all her might. "Don't you dare."

Yang seemed stunned. How could her sister of all people not understand what she was going through, what she was feeling? Had they really distanced themselves so much or was the problem elsewhere?

"Ruby," she said slowly. "I know you liked him. That you thought he was a nice guy with a few quirks. But... well, you saw what he is, what he is like. And you know what he did. Those two," she lowered his voice, "are dead, Ruby. Do you understand?"

"He did what he did to protect me."

"No doubt, but everything has a limit."

"That's very true. But do you think you can give lessons on self-control and limits to anybody?"

Yang grimaced and cowered before her, but didn't get angry. She was the only person Yang could never get angry with.

"He kidnapped you. He was willing to hurt you to save his neck. He is not as noble as you think.

"He did it," Ruby said slowly and after a while, "because I asked him to do it and for no other reason."

Once again, surprise, silence. The rain didn't seem to want to stop.

"Why are you going this far for him?"

"I've already explained it to you. He's the last thing I have left of my mother. Not long ago, I found out that she died to save him. Do you understand? That's where it all comes from. His obsession for me, the promise he made. He's not a monster. He's just a kid my age. Lost. Alone. Scared. But they will hunt him as if he were a monster, those who call themselves protectors of humanity. They will not stop until he is dead. And I will die with him, if necessary."

Before Yang could say anything, she dropped the scroll and stepped on it repeatedly, until it broke, with one of her boots.

Now the crowd did notice her, some of them looked at her as if she had lost her mind. They were wrong. She hadn't felt so sane in a long time. Now everything was clear to her, she saw the shape of the road that stretched out before her.

She would die with him if necessary, yes.

But she wouldn't give up yet.

Her mother would have been proud of her.

* * *

One of Beacon's airships landed on the runway, stopped shortly thereafter and shortly thereafter her older sister and the girls on her team emerged from it, followed by headmaster Ozpin himself. She was surprised that so few people had been sent in search of her, especially considering the impulsive and heated conversation she had had with Yang.

They didn't take long to become aware of her presence. Happiness flourished in Yang's face in a way that made her stomach drop. She knew what her sister wanted to hear and see. She also knew that she couldn't give her any of those things.

 _When have we grown so far apart_ , she thought bitterly. Perhaps it happened on the night when she had her first time with Jaune. Perhaps since then it had been inevitable that things would end like this. Growing pains.

Ruby stayed on the spot instead of running to meet her. She had to make things clear, draw certain lines, because Yang didn't really understand how she felt or what she was going through. But she certainly thought so. Her older sister, the person she thought she could always count on, was no longer her ally. She accepted it, she filed it away in a corner of her mind. But she could not avoid feeling hurt.

Yang tried to hug her. She stepped away.

"Have you told him?" she whispered in a cold voice.

"No. To nobody."

Ruby nodded.

"All right."

She gazed at the members of her team carefully, one by one, with the feeling that she was looking for something in them. Not knowing what it was all about. Not even if it would be worth finding. She breathed deeply.

"I'm glad you're alright, Miss Rose. I understand that you must be... upset, but you must answer a few questions."

"This is neither the time nor the place. And I care little about what I should or should not do, especially when the man who intends to impose such a duty on me nearly killed a seventeen-year-old boy a few hours ago, without hesitation. But I'll talk. I'll tell you everything you want to know on the way back.

Ozpin frowned.

"I am not your enemy."

"You're wrong, headmaster. And how."

* * *

Ruby walked quietly between the seats, the stranger followed her from window to window. She chose one at the back, the others respected and followed her decision without saying a word. There weren't enough seats, so Weiss and Pyrrha had to settle for those to the left. Neither those two nor Blake had much to do with this, but she supposed they had the right to know the truth. Even if she didn't like it.

The airship was on the move.

Not long ago, she had embarked on another journey like this. On that occasion she had been surrounded by people only a little older than her, in the middle of a continuous explosion of noise, surrounded by a sea of color. Of, in short, the future. Then fear had invaded her, shattering her previous enthusiasm, spitting it out like rotten food. She had everything a hunter needed and more, but she let herself be dragged under the water by her personal failings.

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. Once again, she was capable of and knew what she had to do. And once again, she did not know if she would be up to the task.

"Miss Rose..." Ozpin started, who was apparently tired and not at all accustomed to being kept waiting.

"I promised I'd make things clear, so I won't beat about the bush: first of all, stop calling me like that. I've never liked it, but even less now. It makes me sick.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, scandalized.

"Don't worry, I don't care. This is much better than her refusing to speak."

"Don't talk as if I've lost my mind," Ruby got angry, "as if I didn't even know what I'm saying or why. I'm very aware of my actions. And very sure of the conclusions I have drawn about yours. In short, you cannot call anyone a monster, judge and condemn them. That you don't even hesitate to do so is more than enough proof. After all, how can someone's heart be judged by someone who doesn't have a heart?

"What happened to Jaune, Ruby? And what do you know about him?"

"I know what you know, deep down," she said slowly and after a while, "even before you tried to kill him. Listen to me, Jaune is not a threat. And you don't have to trust my words alone. Facts prove it."

"If you want to talk about facts, I should mention the boys who left Beacon to go straight to the morgue. "Ozpin sighed deeply. "Look, I didn't like it either. But I did what I had to do to accomplish my job and my duty, which is to take care of my students. That's all."

"You took care, as you so eloquently expressed it, of two boys who would then go straight to the morgue and two others who were out of Jaune's reach. If he had wanted to hurt someone else, he would have. But he didn't. That proves that, despite his appearance, he is not a Grimm."

They shared glances. Silences charged with meaning. Ozpin didn't even flinch, his expression didn't change at all. As for the girls... for her, their faces may as well have been mortuary masks. She had never been good at interpreting expressions, any kind of non-verbal communication, and all the more so now.

"That doesn't mean he's not a threat."

"They... were bullying me, okay? He loved me... he loves me, and he lost control. I'm not saying he's a saint or a hermit, he has done wrong like everybody else. And he will continue to do so. Let him pay for his crimes with a prison sentence, not with the guillotine or any other type of speedy execution, perhaps carried out by your own hands. That's all I'm saying."

"Unfortunately, Jaune's fate is not in my hands alone. Despite your anger, you should understand that."

"With all due respect, headmaster, don't give me that shit. This is a issue I hold too close to my heart to stand that. You are not on the council, but I have no doubt that you possess enough power and influence to close your mouth and silence the voices of the students, to turn the especially inconvenient details into a kind of collective hallucination. The idea of a humanoid Grimm is not something that anyone wants to accept, the public would settle for any alternative, however implausible."

Ozpin looked at her for a long time.

"Silver eyes... Yes, you remind me of your mother in more ways than one. How easily you have become her ghost. It's like I'm hearing her through your mouth.

"Don't try to change the subject."

"I am not trying to do so. Not now, not later. It's an unavoidable conversation, which is unfortunate for both of us. -He leaned forward. Did he reveal to you what he was? Did he explain the when and why?"

"My mother died protecting his family, and in the end she was only able to save Jaune. He promised to protect me in her place. And that's all I know about his past. Considering the circumstances, the truth is that it could even be his semblance, why not? I don't know and I don't care.

"What about Summer's ghost? The real one."

"That's another question I don't have an answer for."

Ruby gritted her teeth, turned her head and looked out the window. With each second she was getting more angry. She felt like she was about to explode. She wouldn't know until it happened if it would be in the form of screams or tears, or maybe both.

"I'm not your enemy," Ozpin repeated.

"You're wrong. I am Jaune's sole ally, so everyone is my enemy."

* * *

Ruby closed the door behind her. She was surrounded by Blake and Pyrrha, and her sister had stayed instead of returning to her team. It didn't surprise her. After all, they hadn't had a chance to talk on the airship. She would have many questions and as many demands.

She could imagine the course of events. Hard words, incisive, of doubtful necessity. There was no way for such a conversation to end well. But it would take place.

"Fuck, I can't believe it." Those words were the first to come out of Yang's lips. For some reason it didn't surprise her either. "You became a completely different person. I hardly recognized you. Ozpin was right. You looked a lot like her. At least when she got angry."

"What's so strange about that? After all, I've always been a clumsy work in progress. I've been taking things from my mother for years. Her cape, her scythe. Her mission. Lately I've even been chasing after the blonde guy in my team. All that's left is for Jaune to have a brief and tumultuous relationship with Blake, as well as a child, that ends with her running away, giving me the opportunity to get him, to complete the circle."

She spoke so quickly that she ran out of breath, and soon squandered the little she had gathered after being quiet by laughing. In fact, she laughed so loudly, so uncontrollably, that not only did her whole body shake, but she also fell head first on the bed. And yet she did not stop laughing.

"How can you joke about this?"

That, however, did the trick. Cut her hysteria.

"I don't know." She got up leaning on her hands, looked at her sister with the bangs covering her eyes. "I don't know, tell me why!"

"Ruby, calm down, okay?"

"No, no. You calm down." She slithered to the edge of the bed. "Because I'm already very calm."

"You both have to calm down," said Pyrrha. "You won't get anything out of fighting among yourselves. Least of all at a time like this."

"I'm not one to give up," Ruby slowly said.

"You're as stubborn as your mother, our father, and I," Yang said. "And there's nothing wrong with that. I admire your willpower. But now you have to stop fighting, little sister. Even if it costs you, even if it kills you to make that decision, you have to give up on Jaune. It's what's best for you. If he is the person you say he is, he would want the same thing."

Ruby grimaced.

"Yes, that's what he told me. But don't make that face, just because you're both correct doesn't mean that's the right thing to do. And I'm surprised and hurt that you keep insisting on that in spite of everything you know. Mom died for him. Jaune is the life she paid for with her sacrifice. Do you really think I can look the other way? If I do, then why did we suffer? You are right, I have no choice. Helping Jaune is not a decision. It's a matter of destiny."

"Fate," Yang muttered. "What a strange idea, Rubes. Is it yours or Jaune's?"

"I'm not sure, dear sister," she replied with a crooked, ugly, sharp smile. "Lately we have united in more ways than one."

Yang backed away as if she had punched her with the same strength as one of her own would have.

"You did it with him. And you both knew that?"

"She spends most nights with Jaune," Blake said, "so I became suspicious. But I never thought she'd go so far, so fast."

"That makes two of us." Yang sighed deeply. "All right, Ruby. You win."

Ruby looked away so that she wouldn't notice the gleam of tears in her eyes. She felt very tired, hurt, and the fight with her sister was not helping. She tried to pretend that it wasn't Yang she was facing, but she wasn't that good at deceiving herself. And pain and an unwarranted sense of guilt devoured her on the inside like worms.

 _Mom_ , she thought, _give me strength_.

"Do you expect me to believe that you are going to surrender so easily?"

"You say Jaune loves you? Well, my love does not fall short. You are the person I care most about in this world. I would do anything for you. If I can't get you to change your mind, my only option is to protect you from your own mistake. You know, that's what being the big sister is all about." She opened the door. The light of the corridor extended her shadow across the floor. "Sweet dreams, Ruby."

She kept silent. Yang closed the door slightly, without making much noise, even though his hands shook. Pyrrha looked at her with an indescribable expression. Again, she dropped onto the bed and turned around, placing her arms under her head like an improvised pillow.

"Ruby... Are you all right?"

Ruby closed her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks, hot as the steel of a forge.

* * *

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

"Dove, don't you think it's a little late to complain, to have doubts? If you don't like it, get out of here, run back to Beacon. But don't waste my time."

"I don't have any other ideas. It's just that suddenly I'm not sure if this is really a better alternative than not doing anything."

"Please. That monster is still out there, wandering the alleys of Vale, probably hiding in the sewers at night like a rat. You know that. Don't kid yourself. You know he'd never go far from Ruby, seeing him once is all anyone needs to know that he's really obsessed with her. That she is his reason to live... and his reason to kill. With this I'm throwing years of effort out the window. But at least I will be able to feel the warmth of the sun on my face when the next morning comes, which is more that enough for me."

"Yes, yes. You're right. I'm sorry, okay? I'm just scared."

Dove suddenly flew towards the road. Surprise blossomed on his face, but he probably didn't really realize what had just happened, not even when the wheels of a car that was passing by crushed his head like a ripe melon.

Sky turned around, in the same movement he took out his halberd. He only saw the crowd around him. No one was paying attention to him, everyone was staring with horror at the scene of the accident. They screamed, they cried. He heard what must have been the ringtone of a scroll. The ambulance and, perhaps, the police would soon be here, but that would not save him. He had already arrived. He was here to finish the job.

Jaune no longer looked and looked like a monster. He would have stood out too much. He tried to remember his face, but the only images that came to his head were Cardin being pierced by the legs of that monstrous spider and Russell when he was thrown aside like a sack of garbage.

He took a few steps back, waving the tip of the halberd in the air. Suddenly he changed direction, threw himself to one side, made a complete turn.

Nothing. Nothing.

Only the smell of blood and guts, the thunderous noise of the horns mixed with screams that didn't seem human to his ears. Chaos. A tide. He lacked air, his vision was clouding.

 _I am so scared._

He squeezed the weapon harder, for fear that it would slip through his sweaty fingers. For it to disappear into the crowd, which was swelling rapidly, leaving him truly helpless. Like a child.

He did not drop his weapon, but it would have made no difference.

A hand grabbed him by the neck, lifted him effortlessly and in the same way threw him towards the road.

Sky tried to get up, fell again when his knees failed him. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jaune approaching him calmly, with no hurry. He wore his combat uniform without armor. The shirt was torn to shreds, stained with his own blood... and the blood of Cardin and Russell, no doubt. He had counted on him not daring to attack in broad daylight. He had clearly made a grave mistake. After all, Jaune was completely insane. What sense was there in making plans assuming he was going to make the logical decision?

"Leave me alone," Sky begged. "I'm going to leave Beacon. I can't hurt Ruby even if I wanted to. And I don't want to, I've never wanted to. But Cardin... I had to obey orders, do you understand? It's not my fault! It's all yours. Do you really think that publicly humiliating the school bully would not lead to retaliation?"

"I don't care where you want to go, or what you felt deep down. What counts is what you did. And you'll pay for it. You're the last one left."

A chill ran down his back. He looked human, but his voice was not. So cold. So empty. It could tear him to shreds with its own hands and feel nothing. In its eyes, he wasn't even a human being. Is that how Cardin's victims had felt? No... Their victims?

 _Calm down. He's not even armed. You can do this. If you don't give him time to transform..._

Sky jumped at him. Jaune dodged the first blow, passed under his second and kicked him in the chest, since he wasn't quick enough to block. He flew and landed on top of a car. The windows exploded, the alarm activated.

Some people ran, others froze in place, looking at everything in a distant way, like through a television screen, although this was a matter of life or death. Did they even understand what they were seeing, what they were going to allow to happen?

Sky jumped down. Its previous courage, weak and illusory, had easily evaporated. The best thing was to flee. Run until he couldn't take it anymore.

And that's what he did. He fled from death, but did not turn his back to it. He had not lost his mind.

Jaune landed in front of him with enough force to crack the road. So close, he saw that his pupils were white as milk. His back was swelling, moving in an unnatural way. And in the end it exploded, giving birth to a pair of bat wings, long as telephone poles, thick as the edge of his halberd.

Sky laughed hysterically. He couldn't defeat that monster and he couldn't run away from it. Why? Were his sins really so deep that he deserved an end like this?

He brandished the halberd. Jaune did not turn away, he allowed it to pierce his chest from side to side.

That monster's blood was as red as his.

He tugged to pull the weapon from the wound. That's where it stayed.

Jaune extended his arms, which suddenly ended in claws and not hands, toward his face. Blood slipped between his fingers, dripping on the edge of the halberd. Another effort, greater and with an identical result.

But the sharp claws did not touch his skin.

He felt the heat of the flames, then felt nothing. His thoughts dissolved like a sand castle on the shore. The sound of screams made the morning air tremble.

* * *

Jaune stared at his hands as that boy, whose name he had completely forgotten, burned like a pig. Had he done that? And if so, how long had he had that ability?

It made no sense. He knew very well what his semblance was, and that was not it. Besides, no known Grimm manipulated the elements. Neither fire or air. None of them.

A woman stepped out of the crowd, approaching to help that boy, presumably. She thought twice about it when he looked at her. He wanted to tell her: don't worry, I won't hurt you. But she wouldn't believe him, of course. No one would. Not after what he had just done. Not with his hands dripping with blood, though it was his own.

Jaune ran away without looking back.

There was no hope for the one who had come to kill.

* * *

He stopped running. He couldn't take it anymore. His legs burned, every breath he took was a small torture. But not because he was hurt or because running several kilometers without stopping or slowing down was a great effort. It was the result of the struggle against himself, a struggle to prevent his body from disintegrating again, to continue the process of transformation.

Each time he transformed, it was more difficult for him to return to normality. But he had done it many times and today he would do it again. This wouldn't be the end of his human half. Not because of bat wings and some claws.

He collapsed against a wall. He wriggled like a worm on a stick and clawed his arms as if he wanted to punish himself.

He held back a scream. He had taken refuge in an abandoned warehouse, and few people passed through the area when anyone did, so he was relatively safe. But it was better not to risk it.

"You made a mistake," a woman's voice came from everywhere.

"Summer? Where are you? Get out, I beg you. I don't want to be alone."

The shadows danced around him, shook, ballooned like a heart. And out of that darkness came a woman wrapped in a cape as white as the snow upon which she had exhaled her last breath. Tufts of hair were sticking out of the hood, her face was bathed in darkness.

"You made a mistake," she repeated. "You mistook the sky for the stars reflected at night on the surface of a pond."

"I don't know what you mean. Please explain it."

"You're a vulgar animal," she said lightly, as if she was pronouncing very different words. "If you had been able to control yourself, you would still be by my daughter's side. You could still protect her. But there's no turning back, and no possibility of fixing it. You made a mess. A decade of effort and sacrifice thrown away in a matter of seconds."

"I know, but I'm too weak. I'm ashamed but _I am_ , and nobody can change that. Its influence grows stronger with each moment. Soon I will lose the battle."

"Soon," Summer repeated, and disappeared like the morning mist. Seconds later he felt hands on his shoulders, arms around his waist. "Don't turn around."

Jaune heeded the voice of reason. Something had changed. He could sense it.

"You made a mistake. But you can still redeem yourself. "

"How?"

Summer caressed his cheek affectionately, traced his right cheekbone with two fingers.

"Kill them all," she whispered near his ear, making his skin bristle with her warm breath. "This city is rotten inside, and above all that rottenness there is a face, a name. You've seen it on television screens, on the wanted posters hanging in every alley. Tell me his name."

"Roman. Roman Torchwick."

"Go, my knight," she said, licked his cheek and right eye, "cut off the head of the snake and bring it to me. Only then I will forgive you."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

I couldn't resist making that reference. Sorry.


	11. Chapter Three - II

**II**

In some warehouse, which was abandoned and in ruins, you could see a spider's web that went from one side to the other. Such a thing could only have been done by a giant spider, but that theory could be quickly discarded.

After all, the 'things' wrapped in the web were not flies or insects, but human beings.

Many of them were dead, or at least not moving. A few struggled with all they had to free themselves. But just as few prey could escape the web of a spider in time, the efforts of those doomed souls did not bear fruit.

The moonlight illuminated their battle like a spotlight. It seemed to know that the banquet was about to begin. That soon the curtain would open on a night game of madness.

Let us return to the nameless creature that wove this web.

In the center of the web was something very large. Even shrunk as it was, it was obvious that it could tear down the warehouse it had turned into its lair with a few blows, if it so wished. Its four legs, which had sharp, pointed ends, caressed the velvety darkness.

It appeared to be asleep, and perhaps that was true, in a sense. The spider was concentrated in the web. It could only see that work of art of its own creation. Only the sounds that came from it reached its ears. No one could understand what passed through the mind of that creature, that was neither a man nor an animal, perhaps not even a Grimm. But if someone had been there to watch it closely, perhaps they would have concluded that the spider knew something they did not. That it was not at the mercy of the future, but that it was in charge of weaving it.

They would also have seen that in the center of that mass of darkness and hair, there was a human face.

The face of Jaune Arc, a knight. A child with no home and no family.

His blue eyes, practically the only thing visible after his transformation, burned like candlesticks in that filthy darkness that reeked of death.

* * *

The sword of lightning pierced the darkness. Out of it came a small island and a lopsided, blackened tower, covered by hundreds of windows. The windows were points of light. The flames danced, twisted inside the glass. That almost made it look like a giant creature, awake and alert, that had crawled out of some hell in which human reason died.

 _Where am I? This isn't real, is it?_

Ruby immediately regained consciousness of herself, her name and her own body. That was the most natural thing in the world, because without curiosity human beings were no better or any different from the various animals that walked on the earth. Yes, to wonder was human. And if, in spite of asking so many questions to yourself, of putting so much effort into it, there was an answer that you couldn't reach, what was that? What did that make you?

She was standing in the middle of darkness that reached as far as she could see. She looked at her hands, moved her fingers, cracked her knuckles.

 _I... I am..._

She started walking. With every step she took, wild red roses blossomed under her boots. They cut her ankles as she passed by, drank her blood to become stronger, to reach their full splendor.

She was alone. And it was cold. She tied the cloak she always carried on her shoulders tighter and hugged herself. It didn't help much, but it relieved her a little. In any case, she had far greater problems. The darkness never seemed to end, there was not even a speck of light within sight.

She did not want to die alone, in a place like this. If she would be allowed to die in the first place. If she wouldn't wander in this darkness for all eternity.

Later, she saw something, someone, with complete clarity, as if the place was full of light. The person was lying on the ground. The curves of the body covered by the cape suggested that it was a woman.

Of course it was. And she knew her very well.

That cape... She crouched down in front of the woman, extended his hands, which suddenly were trembling, towards the snow-white cape.

For no apparent reason blood stains blossomed over it, spreading along the fabric and dyeing it a dark, dirty red. Despite that, she did not back down. She turned it around with a push.

 _Mom. Oh, mom!_

She had no eyes, the sockets were nests of worms. Half of her face had been violently torn off. She had a deep cut in the lower belly, the organs, moist and glistening, were almost slipping out the wound. She was dead, dead, and so she would always be. For ever and ever.

Ruby touched her face with her fingertips, closed her eyes, rested her head on her chest as she had no doubt done countless times in the past, on radiant days that were now only memories. Grains of sand on the edge of a beach. Sand slipping between her fingers.

He opened his eyes suddenly when she stopped feeling her mother's body, just in time to see how it turned to dust and flew out into the darkness.

 _You made a mistake._ That was Summer's voice, even though she was gone. _You confused the sky with the stars reflected at night on the surface of a pond._

A tremor ran through her from head to toe.

Grains in her hands.

Ruby stood up with her hands on her knees, staggering in a random direction.

The sky... the stars...

She felt a new presence, strong, oppressive and very close. Her heart accelerated, each beat hurting as if her chest were about to explode. A single red rose placed next to a tombstone, an offering that withers on the snow.

"Who are you?" The voice came out weak, stifled, as if her head was under water.

Ruby resurfaced.

Ruby woke up jumping in the same ridiculous way that always happened in the movies, with a fire in her stomach and her heart winding down slowly and painfully. From the corner of her eye, the shadows of the room took strange shapes. Arms, hands. Mouths.

In her ears, the wind caressing the window turned into mocking laughter.

She rose with effort. She opened the bathroom door. Without turning on the light, she stepped in front of the sink and vomited with force. It was disgusting. It was as if she was vomiting her soul.

Ruby looked in the mirror. Sweaty, shaggy, hair stuck to her forehead. A stranger. A person she didn't want to meet.

Her belly hurt so much.

She put a hand on her, tried to catch her breath. In the glass there was now a girl who looked more like her, who could become her again, or even be someone better. With a little bit of luck.

"I... I am..."

Ruby didn't manage to find the answer to that.

* * *

He heard a heartbeat that wasn't his own. That made him regain consciousness.

 _Ruby, Ruby!_

The spider's stomach opened and Jaune slipped out of there, naked as the day he was born, bathed in a foul, sticky substance that he did not know and did not want to give a name to either. In any case, the name didn't matter. He knew what this was all about.

 _Sometimes, in order to learn to live, you need death or a brush with death_. He had heard those words before. But he didn't remember where or when.

Jaune laughed slightly.

He heard a faint, rhythmic noise. After a while he realized what it was. Jaune lifted his head towards the moon, which had witnessed its first rebirth, towards the rain that ran down his hair, wetting his cheeks like tears. His heart trembled.

"Tonight..." He looked down and squeezed his hands into fists. "Tonight...!"

He stood up. His gaze was lost in flesh, blood and memories. He knew where Torchwick was. He knew what he had to do.

He had to keep on advancing. Until all his enemies were destroyed.

* * *

The night was dark and deep as the sea in a storm. The broken moon and its stars had hid. In that almost absolute darkness, Jaune was just another creature in that nest of monsters.

He could already smell the target.

He entered the building through a window, without having to break it or open it from the outside in one way or another, he crawled across the ceiling like a spider. He was practically naked, covered in armor of darkness and bone.

There.

"Come out and have a seat," Roman said, sitting at his office table, one hand resting on the handle of a cane. "Don't be rude."

He knew it was not a bluff, he had lost the element of surprise. He descended to the floor, circled the table carefully.

"Why the visit?"

Jaune stepped out of the shadows.

"I see," he continued after a pause. "You must be one of Salem's little experiments. I don't know what you're doing here. Neither she nor her pet has any reason to complain. My plans are going smoothly and that benefits all of us."

Salem... He hadn't heard that name in his life, but for some strange reason it sounded familiar.

"What's going on?" Roman smiled. "She gave you a mouth but not the ability to use it? Not even I have such an unpleasant sense of humour."

Jaune turned the table over, smashing it against the floor with great ease. Everything that was on top of it ended up scattered around, for a few moments they flew among the pieces of broken wood.

"Oh, I see. So you're here to kill me. I should have seen that coming."

Roman lifted his cane with a simple, fluid and deadly fast movement. He pointed one end at him.

The impact of the bullet and the subsequent explosion hurled him against a wall, cracking it. The pain left him stunned, helpless for a few seconds that the thief used to take action.

Roman was fast. Too fast and too accurate, no doubt he was not one of those bosses who stayed in their elegant offices to make plans and enjoy the cash. Still, he was no big deal. Ruby had prevented him from robbing a store, and here and now he would finish the job, make sure he would never hurt anyone again.

Fighting with bare hands against a guy with a cane that was also a firearm put him at a disadvantage, obviously. But he couldn't afford more than that. If he made a few claws... or worse, he would end up like the other night, the one he had spent investigating and devouring. He almost hadn't came back to himself. The danger was real.

He remembered Summer turning into dust, slipping between his fingers. Flying like the petals of a rose. It had been a terrible nightmare but also, in a way, beautiful.

Another shot. This time he didn't manage to get away in time either.

He went through a wall, the same one he had cracked before. He ended up buried in the rubble. For a short time. He hurried to his feet, the lower part of his back brushed against something that could only be a railing.

It was hard for him to breathe. His body cried out for the transformation, his instincts whispered that he had to do it if he wanted to survive this battle.

But he refused to.

Jaune howled and jumped from the railing to the floor. A wider battlefield suited him.

He glanced. Roman was still there, but by his side, out of somewhere, somehow, a tiny girl had appeared. She was shorter that Ruby, even though she wore high heels. She smiled from ear to ear, an open parasol spinning over her head. No doubt a weapon, even though it didn't look like one.

He instinctively understood that the girl was a monster, not a thief and a thug like her boss.

"I'll kill you," Jaune said with a cold rage.

"Yes, yes," he replied as they descended to the ground in a more indirect manner. Now that I know you know how to use that mouth, let us speak as members of a species supposedly blessed with reason. Why do you want to kill me? Maybe we can come to an agreement."

"There will be no agreement. You deserve to die and you will."

"You look at me like I'm a monster," he said slowly, "and you don't seem to see that in yourself. That's funny."

Jaune got up on all fours, tightened his whole body like a tiger, and threw himself at him. But he wasn't going to ignore the girl. She was a greater threat than Roman.

She stopped his blow with the parasol. Though obviously reinforced by herAura, that was somewhat humiliating. As if she were mocking him.

As if?

She was obviously enjoying it. She did not take him seriously.

 _You damn bitch._

The rage accelerated his transformation, but he didn't lose control, he didn't give up the reins but guided it to create what was easier for him: four spider legs. And he advanced. Soon he was overwhelming them. It was obvious, not a trick to give him a false sense of security. They reeked of fear. Above all, to his surprise, that girl did.

Roman took a few steps back. He moved his hand across his mouth. Looking at the blood that now stained it, he frowned, spat.

"Neo, leave."

The girl, Neo, looked into his eyes.

"I'm not joking. Leave! I'll take care of him."

That was incredible stupid. If that girl had no chance against him, then he even less so. He had to know that as well as he did. But Roman wasn't going to back down. In a sense, it was admirable.

Jaune did not give them time to finish their conversation.

Or so he thought. But Neo did not protest, she said nothing, she simply disappeared in the blink of an eye, shattering like glass. What a strange semblance.

He couldn't let his guard down, despite everything. Perhaps she had hidden herself in the darkness, waiting for the perfect opportunity to surprise him again and even the odds. Surely that's what it was all about. After all, why would Roman sacrifice himself to allow that girl to escape? And that was the only other possibility.

"I'll kill you both," Jaune said. "And I'll enjoy every moment."

"I have no intention of dying," replied Roman in an unexpectedly calm voice. "I will destroy you and return to her. You are but an obstacle in my path."

Jaune ducked, dodging the shot that would have erased a good part of his head. When he transformed, his aura lost its strength until it disappeared completely. Obviously. Because a soul was something that only human beings possessed.

He charged him, trying to skewer him with his legs.

Roman dodged them at the last moment, rolling on the floor. He stood up fluidly, shot twice and didn't miss. A big piece of his torso mostly disappeared, as if a great beast had bitten it off. It would make his movement more difficult, but otherwise it was nothing to worry about. Although he was almost completely devoid of Aura, he regenerated very quickly.

Roman ran, disappeared behind a nearby door.

"Wherever you go, wherever you hide, I'll find you in the end. I'll tear you apart with my own hands!"

He didn't hesitate to go after him.

Tables. Containers. Shelves.

Darkness.

He stood on all fours, brought his nose near the ground, sniffed. Roman could not deceive his senses. He was close.

Jaune let out some sort of choked scream.

He ended up vomiting blood. Roman had not shot him from his hiding place. No one had harmed him. It happened because his body resented the changes, even if his mind was prepared.

He threw himself against the shelf that he was hiding behind, knocking it down with the force of the impact. He went through it, moving forward as if there was nothing in his path.

He extended his arms and legs to grab Roman.

He managed to escape. He was like a worm, that scum. Dirty and slippery. But his luck had run out. Jaune ripped the cane from his hands. He twisted it, threw it to the side, already useless. And he stabbed him with one leg just below the heart.

"You should..." Roman muttered with his mouth full of blood. "Look behind you."

He didn't know what, maybe his tone of voice, but something made him turn his to look. There was a supply of Dust... and a plastic explosive glued to the container.

 _Shit_.

That was his last thought before he lost the ability to think.

* * *

Jaune woke up in the dark, with something heavy crushing his ribs. The pain was unbearable. He could barely breathe. He had to get out of here. Get out into the light. Breathe fresh air.

( _so dark_ )

He didn't want to die. Not like this and not at all. It was too soon. He at least wanted to be able to see Ruby's face in his final moments.

He moved the rubble with his legs, crawled forward like a worm. Each of these movements contained the possibility of more debris falling on him. He had to fight the fear that it would happen to keep moving forward.

 _Give me strength, Ruby. Give me strength. I don't want to lose you!_

He pulled the torso and an arm out of the dust, blood and debris. His lungs filled with air again.

The sky was still dark. It shouldn't have been long since the explosion.

The multiple explosions and the collapse of the building would have been heard all over Vale. He had to leave before anyone arrived. The police, those who wanted him dead... But not yet. He couldn't.

He looked for Roman Torchwick in the rubble. And he soon found him.

Dead.

But that didn't have the slightest importance to him. Jaune devoured him, slowly at first, as if with caution, then voraciously. As if he hadn't eaten in years. His body was filled with his blood and organs. His mind, his memories.

Now he had what he was looking for. And more than he had thought he would need.

Roman had devised a plan for Salem that would endanger not only Vale, the city, but the entire realm as well. He was supposed to carry it out personally, but he was a pawn like any other. Surely his masters would have no trouble finding someone to take his place.

He heard the police sirens.

Close. Too close.

Jaune ran and skittered into the darkness.

* * *

Ruby didn't attend classes. The teacher didn't even ask her any questions, she surely thought it was because of Jaune, that whole mess. She was not wrong. Ruby felt bad and was thinking of Jaune, but for once she wasn't worried about where he was and what he was doing. She went to... check something important.

Shortly afterwards, locked in the bathroom of her team's bedroom, she looked at what was in her hands.

She couldn't no longer doubt it. Or pretend it wasn't possible.

"I'm pregnant," she murmured as if to convince herself that it was true.

* * *

The door opened. At first she thought Blake and Pyrrha had returned from class, but it couldn't be true. It was too soon. She wanted to know who it was, but she didn't have the energy to turn around and look. Terror did not drive her to do so, even though it might be someone who wanted to hurt her, as she had forgotten to lock the door.

That someone sat next to her. For one moment of madness, she vividly imagined that it was Jaune, who had come to take her away with him.

"Ruby..." Yang's voice cut off her hopes. "Are you all right?"

"What a question." She lowered her voice even more. "No, I'm not all right. He's not here anymore, Yang. He's nowhere. He's not dead yet, but it's as if he had died. And the worst thing is that he eventually he will do it alone, hated by all, rejected by the world. Even though I love him... Even though he and me..."

No. Better not tell her the truth.

"What, Ruby?" she gently insisted.

"Nothing."

Her older sister wasn't born yesterday, no doubt she knew she was lying, but she pretended not to. Or maybe she was just thinking about what to say and how to say it. In any case, the affection Ruby had for her became stronger. She could still rely on her. Not in everything, but in many things.

"You're not thinking... of doing anything stupid, are you?"

It took her several seconds to realize what she meant.

"No. Not that, never."

"Okay. I'm glad to hear that." She swallowed. "Don't lose hope. I'll do everything I can to find him, to keep him safe."

"But you hate him."

"You're wrong. I hate that he's making you suffer. I hate that he is a murderer and has condemned you both to pain, bitterness and a sense of distance that has nothing to do with the physical. And above all I hate this world and the gods, if they are anything more than myths and legends, because you have already suffered enough. Because someone as strong, kind and compassionate as you does not deserve to go through even a little of what you have gone through. But not Jaune. Not anymore.

Ruby kept silent.

"Yang..." she said at last, her voice changed.

"Yes, sis?"

"I... Nothing. Forget it."

Yang nodded. She stood up and left, carefully closing the door behind her.

* * *

The next morning, alone and in the dark, using her scroll only to kill time, she came across a piece of news that woke her from her lethargy, that made her stand up.

Explosions and a fire in the middle of Vale... possible connection with Roman Torchwick...

Ruby did not know Jaune as well as he knew her, but she knew enough to predict his actions. Or so she hoped. Since he couldn't be with her, she imagined he would dedicate himself to hunting criminals, to eliminating any possible threat before they would harm her.

She bit her lips. She had to find him, talk to him, and the sooner the better.

* * *

That night, as soon as Blake and Weiss went to sleep, Ruby got dressed and went out into the darkness. She hadn't said anything to anyone, she didn't even think about leaving a note. While she was going down to Vale, she touched her belly with one hand, she thought of the child that was being gestated there. If it would be a boy or a girl. If it could grow up surrounded by a happy and _complete_ family, unlike her and Yang.

Tears ran down her cheeks. She hated crying, but couldn't stop it. Deep down, she had feared that for a long time, most of her life. Jaune was not the best option if she wanted a stable life. Anyone would have realized that.

She had no choice, however. She truly loved him, with all her heart. No matter what anyone said.

And now, a child. That would have to change his mind, right? He'd go back to her if she told him the truth. She clenched her fists. No. That didn't matter. Even if he did, even if she somehow managed to stop him from being executed like some common animal, he would end up in jail. What was the sentence for murder?

Too long, in any case.

She saw a shadow wandering the docks, a thin, blood-smelling ghost. The night was very dark, with no stars, so she couldn't be sure it was him. But somehow she was.

"Jaune!" she shouted running after him. "Jaune, wait!"

"Don't look at me," he replied, confirming her thoughts.

Ruby stopped a few yards away. So close and yet so far.

"I saw you once," she said slowly and after a while, "all of you, and in any case I don't care what you look like. I know very well who you truly are. And I'll never forget it. Jaune, I love you. So much..."

"Don't look at me!"

Ruby turned around. She took a deep breath. The cold night air seeped into her bones, provoking strong tremors.

"You're crying," Jaune slowly said. "Why are you crying?"

"I... take me with you, please. I need... We have to be together.

"I can't allow that. I thought you understood that it's too dangerous for you, that that's not the way to fix this damn situation. That's why you left, isn't it? Tell me this is nothing more than an outburst, a short-lived impulse."

"I'm pregnant."

Jaune turned around. She heard that clearly. Ruby turned her head just in time to see her fall to her knees. He had no expression, he was acting as if the world had collapsed on top of him. She knew that these circumstances weren't the best for having a child, but... But what? What did she expect of him?

He no longer had spider legs, but he had not regained his human form. In fact, the transformation had progressed in other directions. Directions that made the comparison with a Grimm, even if she hated to admit it, much more accurate.

"This can't be happening," Jaune said.

A ghost appeared behind him, put her hands on his shoulders. Ruby forgot how to breathe.

"It can't be," Jaune muttered, apparently unaware of Summer's appearance. Or whatever it really was. "I didn't think, it didn't even cross my mind, that I have... what's necessary for that. I'm not human. I am a monster. "

Ruby freed herself from her stupor and approached him. The ghost disappeared, melting into the darkness as if fleeing from her. A wound in his heart reopened, bled abundantly. But she didn't pay attention to it. Couldn't.

"Look at me. Look at me!"

Jaune obeyed.

"I know it's not ideal," she finally said, her voice changed, "but we'll get through this together. We can do it."

"I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do it."

"Take me with you," she asked again, touching his face with her fingertips. "Wherever. To do anything. I won't lie to you: it won't be the life I've dreamed of, I'm sure. But I don't care as long as we're together."

"We can't. I can't, especially not now. My child. You can't ask me that. I love you too much, I owe you too much to do something like that." He gently removed her hands from his shoulders. With great delicacy and attention he broke her heart. "Go away. Don't look back for a second, forget about me. All this was just my selfish dream. Okay?"

Ruby slapped him.

"Absolutely not," her voice trembled. "It might be selfish, but I'm dreaming it too. And I don't want to wake up. I love you too much. I owe you too much."

Jaune looked at her silently. He seemed afraid of her, of the future. That almost got her to back off, but she couldn't. No..., she didn't want to. None of this was a matter of destiny, but of her own decisions. And she would face the consequences when they arrived without handing over the responsibility to a concept as vague and strange as destiny.

"Take me with you," she repeated for the third time. "Now I'm not asking you: I demand it. No matter what happens, if you don't accept, I won't move from this spot."

Jaune looked down.

"All right," he muttered. "Let's go."


	12. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Of the little flames, some high and mighty were, brightly shining and clear, others were small, hesitant and trembling, and their light darkened and dimmed by stretches. At the very end there was a small flame so weak that it barely burned, barely stirred, now shining with great effort, now almost, almost extinguished altogether.

"Whose little, dying fire is that?" the witcher asked.

"Yours," answered Death.

Flourens Delannoy, _Tales and Legends_.

They entered the warehouse.

There was no trace of the corpses, not even of the smell of blood. Luckily, he had decided to clean his 'lair' before Ruby appeared. Otherwise, they would have had a tough conversation, which could not have ended well in any way...

 _Really?_ he asked himself. _A few sweet words are enough to make me forget what I decided, what is best for her._

But he couldn't help it. He really couldn't.

He glanced sidelong at Ruby.

He didn't know when they had conceived the creature she now carried in her womb, whether on the first night, by chance, or in one of the many others. In any case, it was too soon to be noticeable that she was pregnant.

Although his mind knew, his heart, as usual, had other ideas. She seemed to shine with a different light. Her eyes, her skin, even the way she swayed as she walked... Somehow, everything in her was different. And everything in her made a single thought resonate in his head with the force of a hammer, making sparks fly inside him.

 _My son. My son. A true Arc._

 _A complete one. Human. Because it has to be that way. That's how the story is supposed to end._

Jaune wanted to celebrate. He wanted to take Ruby in his arms and kiss her as if there was still hope in his heart, as if a bright future awaited them. He wanted to say something meaningful, something that would make her smile as if everything was going to be all right.

But he didn't move. He didn't say anything.

His heart, as usual, had other ideas. But his mind had known from the beginning that this was nothing to rejoice about.

Jaune scratched his left ear from behind, something that had become a nervous tic for him, looking for something to say that wouldn't make her feel worse. Because she certainly didn't feel well. Despite what it might appear.

"It's not Vale's coziest place. I know."

Is that the best you could come up with? You're a complete idiot.

"Don't worry, I'd expected this, more or less. "Her voice was as light as the wind. In spite of everything. In times of war, every hole is a trench. Besides, any place is good to me as long as I'm with you. So stop trying to change my mind. Please.

"It's not that."

Ruby leaned forward, as if to look at him better, arms folded behind her back and hands intertwined. Her bangs were like a black cloud covering the moon. Her tongue protruded slightly between her lips.

He felt that it would do him no good to lie, even if it was necessary. That she was capable of reading his thoughts.

"Honestly."

Ruby pulled back. Her smile widened.

"I'm glad you're learning. We have a long, long way to go. But every journey begins with a single step, or something like that, and as a step, that one was pretty good. Don't you think so?"

"Yes."

Ruby's smile didn't fade, but it did weaken.

"Don't make that face, please. This may be nothing more than a selfish dream, as you said, but it doesn't have to be a short dream. Or sorrowful.

The silver-eyed hunter leaned her back against a wall.

As if it had been waiting, the light formed a circle of light around her, passing first through the clouds, the deep darkness of the night, the ruined roof of the warehouse. The moonlight enhanced her features.

It seemed almost as if he didn't have her in front of his eyes, but a picture of her that had been worked on until every detail became perfect. A snapshot with the same power and intensity as those used to represent important things. The effect of war on civilians, the end of an era, of the world...

He was speechless. Breathless.

Suddenly, he felt very small again.

"Come here," said Ruby, calling out to him. But it wasn't her he heard. Even so, he approached her as if his heart was still pure. Guided unconsciously by her, he wrapped his right arm around her waist, put the other hand over her left shoulder. As if they were going to dance. But what he did was squeeze her against the wall with his body.

"We shouldn't do this," he said at last, his voice changed. "The child..."

"Did you fall asleep in biology class or what? Nothing's going to happen to the child. And to me neither, by the way. But if you don't feel like it, I'd understand. We have time."

He replied with a kiss, with his hands, with his whole body. As he should have replied from the beginning, and it was magical. But it didn't last long. Another thought interrupted his happiness, the soft gray mist of oblivion that allowed him to live in the moment.

"Aren't you going to ask me any questions?"

He hadn't seen it, but he had felt Summer's presence behind him not long ago. So Ruby should have seen her. Seen her mother.

"Would you be able to respond?"

"To almost none," he admitted, feeling deeply ashamed.

Even after so many years, he was not entirely sure what had happened on that snowy day. How and why he had ceased to be human, and nothing to do with Summer's specter.

"Then it doesn't matter."

They continued kissing.

She was so small and soft that he found it hard to believe she had the strength to destroy him, but he knew it was true. She was strong in many ways, unlike him, and would be a good mother in the future. That, too, he was sure of.

"Careful," Ruby said. "That hurts."

Jaune stopped, turned away from her. He absent-mindedly placed a hand on the bone protruding from his right cheek, like a knife that had been thrust in, only without a trace of blood. Be it red or black.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. Seriously. I'll get used to it, if I have to. By the way, you still have..." She blushed sweetly. "The necessary equipment, right?"

It took him several seconds to realize what she was getting at.

"Yes."

"Tell me that also means that it's normal and not something mysterious, black and full of tentacles."

"That's right, but if you want tentacles, I can make myself some."

"What? No! No, of course not! How can you think that?"

-Well, I don't remember when or where, but I heard that some women have a tentacle fetish. So... Anyway, forget it. Forgive me for being so stupid. But if you want something I can give you, don't hesitate to ask. Sex in the air, for example. It would be easy."

"Are you making fun of me? That's not very sexy, Jaune. I won't feel like it anymore if you keep that up."

"Of course not. I just want to make you happy."

Ruby laughed softly and leaned her head against his chest, preventing himfrom seeing her expression.

"You're hopeless. Yes, we have a very long journey ahead of us. Many steps to take with you... and for you."

Jaune smiled, trying to pretend he knew what she was implying.

"In a good way?"

"Of course. But now shut your mouth and make love to me, will you?"

He obeyed.

* * *

"The truth is that there is something I do regret," Ruby said, taking him by surprise. He thought she'd already fallen asleep. After the surprise, of course, came fear that gripped his heart.

"What?"

Ruby turned her head to look him in the eye.

During the time we were separated, I re-built your sword from the broken fragments I managed to recover and pieces of the blade of my Crescent Rose."

He didn't know what he had expected, but this was surely worse than anything that could have occurred to him. He knew how much Crescent Rose meant to Ruby. They had never talked about it, but Summer had used a practically identical weapon, who knows if not the same. So it was easy to guess.

"And I forgot it," she continued, not seeing or pretending not to see the horror on his face. "I was in such a hurry to escape... By the time I remembered it, I was too afraid to turn around and go back to Beacon. Afraid that I couldn't make the same decision if I saw my sister and my friends again. I'm sorry."

Jaune struggled to control his breathing, relax his muscles.

"Jaune? Are you angry?"

"No. But you shouldn't have done that. Dismantle your scythe for me."

"Jaune, don't be silly. My baby is fine, as you would see if you would take your eyes off my tits and point them at that wall. It was no sacrifice, not even a small one. It was just the least I could do for you."

Jaune blushed, but he wasn't going to back down just because she had caught him watching. This was important. Perhaps the least important of all his problems, but important enough. At least to him.

"They say that the weapons of the hunters are like part of them. To be honest, I can't understand that perspective, but I know for sure that for you it's much more than that. That even though you 'just' broke the blade, that hurt. Summer... Your mother..."

"You don't have to say more." Ruby looked away.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize either." She laughed as she always did. "I admit, it was painful, but that was a childish pain. I know I didn't really have to sacrifice anything, that I shouldn't have cried. And if I found myself in the same situation, I would make the same decision, no matter how many times it was necessary. Your sword... I doubt you have given it a name, but it's also important to you. It also symbolizes something. Don't deny it."

"It's not really my sword. It's from my family, an inheritance. It has passed through the hands of many Arcs, but I am no longer an Arc. And I don't want to remember my family."

"Really? Then, why did you use that surname to apply for Beacon?"

"Because... Because..."

Jaune swallowed.

He closed his eyes. There was no answer inside him. That was one of the many things he was not allowed to think about. He was aware of that contradiction, but he would never resolve it.

Ruby was silent. She waited patiently for him to respond.

"You are my family now," Jaune finally said, his voice changed. "My family, my everything. And the past doesn't matter. The past... The past is in the past. Let's leave it there."

"All right, Jaune. As you wish."

After a while she fell asleep. He only knew it from the change in the rhythm of her breathing, because he had kept his eyes closed. He didn't dare to open them. He sensed Summer's presence again, like a living blizzard around him.

He had trouble falling asleep, but he did. Only thanks to Ruby's warmth, of course.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he discovered that he was in a grave.

Not the pile of snow in which Summer had taken her last breath, but the grave he shared with the cold, motionless dolls that once had been his family.

His thoughts slipped out of the wagon and the snow took them away, leaving him empty inside. That darkness that reeked of blood, shit and piss, death, melted his body. It left not even the bones.

And he floated like that, like a specter of the future in a past he could not leave behind.

The dolls were awake. They whispered intimately to him, extended their hands to touch his shadow, to caress it. They wanted him to return to the place he should never have left. Family had to be together.

The boy tried to scream, but his throat was gone.

Something similar to the howl of the wind between the rocks was heard, something that was perhaps just the endless snowstorm outside. And nothing more. Even if he could have screamed, no one would have come to help him, to hold his hand and drag him back into the light and life. Because he was alone. He would always be alone.

"You made a mistake." Summer's voice came from somewhere else. Another time and another place. "You confused the sky with the stars reflected at night on the surface of a pond."

He felt cold hands on his neck. Hands that tightened, stealing the air from his lungs.

* * *

Jaune woke up bathed in sweat and shivering at the same time, still feeling the cold bite of the snowstorm in his dream. Although dreams were only dreams.

Wrapped in Ruby's cloak, he felt like a butterfly inside his cocoon, waiting for the right time to emerge. If only it were an easy solution to all his problems. But he knew it was just the opposite.

He had no concrete proof, but he was sure that the day would come when he couldn't regain his human form. And then it would all be over.

Then... Then...

Jaune looked at Ruby, who was naked like the day she came into the world, covered only partially with her cloak. He pictured his hands around her thin, white neck, squeezing, squeezing. Her eyes opening like saucers. Fear and betrayal shining in the silver of her pupils.

He imagined the end. And he felt like screaming until he couldn't do it anymore. But, by some miracle, he stayed silent.

At least he couldn't feel Summer's presence anymore. No doubt she would come back soon, she always did, but it was a relief. It helped him cling to what was left of his sanity.

That line of thought led him to his sword. To Crocea Mors. The Yellow Dead.

It still meant something to him. It meant something. In spite of everything. And maybe it was just what he needed at a time like this. After taking a last look at Ruby, he went out the door into the night, careful not to wake her.

The morning was approaching, but he should have enough time to get what he wanted.

His shadow spread across the wall at the same sped as his wings.

* * *

The window exploded, scattering glass everywhere. The curtains fell, letting in the sinuous moonlight. Alongside it slipped in one of the many demons lurking in the darkness of the night.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the occupants of the room. There was agitation, shouting. Confusion. The latter died as soon as someone turned on the lights.

Yang put on Ember Celica, without taking her eyes off the creature standing in the middle of her team's room. Something that was like a Grimm, but not like any she had ever seen. Part of her wanted to believe it was a nightmare. The rest of her, the part that had already grown and matured, knew it was not. And she was happy about it.

Ren circled the creature and stood behind it, perhaps waiting for her order to attack. Nora, for the first time, seemed uncertain. Even afraid.

None of that mattered to Yang. She felt like the flames around her would end up burning her. She alone would be enough to destroy him.

"Jaune Arc," grunted Yang. "It's you, isn't it? What have you done with my sister?"

Jaune Arc didn't answer. He just looked around, as if searching for something. She had a feeling it was him, but there was nothing physical to prove it. Even the way he moved was inhuman.

"Give her back to me, you son of a bitch!"

Jaune jumped into motion.

At first she thought he was going to attack her, but instead he grabbed his sword, whatever it was called, which she had placed next to her bed. And he stared at it as if it was the first time he had seen something like that. As if he was not enterely aware of what was happening.

She had run out of patience to ask, so she decided to get the answers from him the way she was best at: wit her fists. She threw herself at him and his team joined her.

Even Weiss, although she was paler than usual. In fact, she looked like she was about to faint. Despite that, she didn't hesitate or fail to encase Jaune's feet with ice, preventing him from moving. At least for the moment.

Yang punched him right in the chest, with all her might, screaming like a dying Beowulf. A hideous blend of rage and pain.

She thought the force of the impact would knock him to the ground. That he would howl in pain, stagger. Anything would have satisfied her. But the only visible effect of her punch was that the ice that prevented him from moving exploded into a thousand pieces.

Jaune was far more dangerous than a normal Grimm, if he could even be considered a Grimm. Yang knew for certain that with a single blow like that she would have crushed the head of a normal Beowulf, and it would not have taken much more for an Alpha Beowulf.

Jaune moved for the first time since he picked up the sword, and it was such a fast move that it slipped out of sight. She only realized what happened when she saw Ren crashing into the wall.

He had made Ren fly with his free hand, not the one that held the sword.

Instead of going after Ren, forgetting the situation they were him, Nora brandished her hammer with both hands. She was still not the old Nora, but now in a different way. Yang didn't see the slightest hint of innocence on her face. It was clear that Nora had no intention of capturing Jaune, she would kill him if she could.

Jaune blocked her attack with the sword.

Nora pulled orange Dust from somewhere. She squeezed it against her chest, causing the crystal to vanish without a trace. But not the energy within.

Electricity crackled as if there was a storm concentrated in her room and spread throughout Nora's body, as the flames that appareared when she used her Semblance did. Then she charged Jaune with such force that not only did she move him from his spot, they flew out together through the shattered window.

When they touched the ground, the sound of the impact was immediately engulfed by an explosion of electricity that illuminated the night for several seconds, like a ray of light.

* * *

Jaune rose. Little by little, with great effort, but he did and managed to stand up. His whole body hurt, as if knives were stuck deep in every inch. But the pain was nothing more than that, pain. Something as illusory as a mirage. It passed like a dream.

"Get out of my way," Jaune said with a much greater effort than it had cost him to get up. He had no vocal cords. Well, not in the conventional sense, which was almost the same.

"No," answered the girl with her fists raised.

All the electricity she had absorbed had been let out in that attack, now she was nothing more than an unarmed huntress. And yet she was willing to fight him. Why?

As if she had heard his thoughts, she answered that question shortly afterwards.

"I've seen too many men like you," she continued. "Not all of them so ugly, sure, but that only means that you carry your ugliness both on the outside and on the inside. If it were so with all people, it would make life easier for many people. I've been targeted by men like you even when I was much younger that I'm know, when I didn't really know about... adult stuff. and if I hadn't learned fast, if Ren hadn't been with me...

Yang jumped out the window and landed on the ground on all fours, like a cat. She was a living hell. Even her eyes had become as red as blood.

"Nora, be careful!" Ren shouted as he slid down the wall to the ground.

"Ruby loves me."

"Oh, I don't doubt that," said Nora. It seemed like she hadn't even noticed the arrival of her team, that she only had eyes for him. "It's your love for her that I don't trust. I'm sure that Ruby will suffer greatly because of your death, but she would suffer even more if I were to let you escape here alive. So I will kill you before you ruin her."

Ren threw the hammer at Nora, she caught it in the air without even looking back. She seemed stupid, but she at least knew that lowering her guard against him, if only for a moment, could prove fatal.

Jaune shook his head.

"This fight is pointless."

He spread his wings, flapped them, took flight. But not fast enough. Yang jumped after him, grabbed him by the legs and with the weight of her body, with all her strength, managed to bring him down to the ground.

"Where is she?" She shouted at her, beating him up with flaming fists. "Where?"

The flames spread through his body, little by little, devouring everything they touched. Jaune got rid of the affected piece of his body so that the problem wouldn't go any further and grabbed Yang by the neck, squeezing. He looked into her eyes.

"Exactly where she wants to be."

And having said that, he smiled. Forgetting that his current face was not at all suitable for that.

He threw her away, tried to fly again.

At the last moment, Nora attempted to crush with her enormous hammer, but he managed to aovid and reach the heavens. The sun rose. He felt that its light was blessing him and his mission.

Yang spoiled that sense of peace and tranquility with her screams of rage.

"I'll kill you! Do you hear me? With these hands, I will tear off your wings, I will make you regret the day you came here and met Ruby. With these hands!"

Her eyes were wide open and she was breathing heavily. She seemed to have lost her mind, and perhaps it was true.

"You can try. But no force in this world is capable of achieving such a thing." He was talking about, of course, the last thing she said.

"She would have been happier if she hadn't met you, you monster!"

 _At least we agree on something_ , he thought.

Before anyone else arrived, complicating things, he made his escape.

* * *

Under him, Vale was waking up. Lights were on in the windows, people were out in the street. And nothingness filled with sounds. Human voices, the song of birds. The sunlight caressed his wings, danced between their feathers.

Jaune landed in an empty alley near the warehouse.

In a hurry, feeling his heart in his throat, he ripped out his wings and threw them to the ground. The blood fell on his back, flowing around and between his feet like a living being.

He leaned one hand against the wall and vomited with force. The blood that came out of his throat, mixed with the bile, was red, not black.

The wings would soon disintegrate, as they had done before. And nothing and no one had followed him here. He had made sure of it, so Ruby and he were safe. At least for the moment. Holding Crocea Mors to his chest, he staggered toward Ruby.

He wanted to see her. Needed to see her.

And think of the future. That old, abandoned, ruined warehouse was a suitable home for someone like him, but Ruby deserved much more. She deserved a good house with beautiful views, an enviable husband and children, she deserved to be happy forever. She deserved... everything.

He still couldn't give her everything she wanted, but he could start with a good hotel.

Ruby would probably refuse because it was too risky, but if she couldn't give him that, the guilt would end up crushing his soul. What remained of that, at least.

He opened the door.

Ruby was awake and dressed. When she saw him, her face lit up. Suddenly she began to cry, covering her mouth with one hand to suffocate her weeping.

The sword slid between his fingers, it rattled when it fell to the ground.

Jaune approached her.

"What's going on?"

"Jaune..." She swallowed. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Ruby stretched out her hands, caressed his cheeks. And showed him a trembling smile that broke his heart, that caused his fear to reach levels he hadn't thought possible.

"Your eyes... look even more beautiful and clear than I remember.

"Ruby, what's wrong? I don't understand."

"Really?" Ruby took two steps back. "You're normal again. Look at your sword if you don't believe me."

He did as he was told. A sword was not exactly the best kind of mirror, but it served its purpose. Ruby was right. Though he had not realized it, at some point he had fully regained his human form. Not a trace of his other half remained. No black veins, no white bones.

"I thought you'd stay like this forever," she continued in a small voice. "That it would even get worse, sooner or later. Oh, Jaune, I feel so happy..."

"I'm sorry."

"Did you do anything you regret in Beacon?"

"No," he said, and it was true. "I'm sorry I made you worry, cry."

"You can't protect me from that, whatever you do. Because it's just an inevitable part of loving another person. Besides, it's not really a bad thing at all."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course I do. If I hadn't suffered so much, I wouldn't be so happy now. I feel light, as if my feet weren't touching the ground. It sounds selfish, but this is the first time in my life that I've been so happy for someone else... As far as I can remember, at least."

Jaune shook his head, smiled.

"That's some positive thinking."

"Yes, I'm very good at it. But sometimes it's better not to think about anything. For example... If I'd known you'd show up so soon and like this, I wouldn't have bothered to get dressed."

"Are you sure about this? Aren't you tired?"

"I've had about four hours of rest, which is more than enough for me. And if I had slept less, it wouldn't have been the first time. In any case, Jaune. If a girl tells you to fuck her, you should shut up and fuck her. No questions asked." Ruby turned red like a rose because of her own words.

 _Gosh, how can she be this cute?_

"Okay," said Jaune. "Two things. First, don't try so hard, really. You don't have to. Second, is that what you me to do, even with other girls?

"You know what I meant. Asshole."

Despite his words, Ruby smiled, grabbed him by the hands and guided him to her cape, which was still lying on the ground.

"Since we're on the subject," she continued, "that wasn't funny, but at least you tried. When did you grow a sense of humor?"

 _Maybe when I ate Roman and absorbed his memories_. He pushed that thought aside, hoping never to find it again. _There are too many things I can't or shouldn't think about._

They left behind them a trail of clothing. Ruby's shirt, then his. When the two pairs of boots touched the ground, he no longer knew which was which, he, at least, was too excited to think clearly. The pants, Ruby's bra. He didn't clearly see the following one, his eyes and hands were focused on more pleasant sights, but it must have been Ruby's panties, since he never wore any underwear.

* * *

"Am I good enough?" Jaune asked shortly after the matter was finished.

"I think I gave you an answer to that question already. It was like this, more or less: Ooooh, ooooh, aaah, yes! Yes!" Ruby burst out laughing. But it didn't take long for her to get serious. Very serious. "But I'm glad you're in the mood to talk, because I think we have to."

Jaune's heart began to beat harder. Even painfully.

"You killed Roman Torchwick, didn't you?"

"True."

"You did that because you wanted to protect me, to eliminate all possible threats close to me."

"That's right."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Before I killed Roman, I discovered that he, like many others, was nothing more than a piece in the hands of a player. And I also found out what that player was planning. I'll stop her because I have to and then... We'll see about that later. We have all the time in the world."

"Who is she? What does she plan to do?"

"A woman named Cinder Fall. I doubt that's her real name, though. And what she plans... Promise me you won't insist on helping me stop her and I'll tell you."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know. But I don't want to put our child at risk. Now you have to think of two people all the time, not just yourself."

Ruby put one hand on her belly.

"This boy or girl that grows inside of me... I want them to be born, to be happy. I want to share with them all the moments that I wasn't able to share with my own mother. With them and with you. But for now, this child is just an idea for me. In other words, if I had to choose, I would always put you first."

"I don't believe you. If it comes down to it, you wouldn't be able to."

Ruby was silent.

"Cinder Fall," Jaune continued slowly and after a pause "intends to get a horde of Grimm into Vale. I don't know why, except maybe the chaos it would cause in itself. And I don't care either. It's enough for me to know that I have to kill her for you to be happy."

Ruby opened her eyes wide, looked at him as if she thought he was lying, as if she wanted to believe that. But, in the end, he accepted it. He was able to see that too.

"And what does that entail? What pieces does this Cinder have?"

"According to Roman, at least half of Vale's scum, two skillful subordinates of our age and the White Fang.

"You say that as if it wasn't a big deal," muttered Ruby. "Jaune, if she's allied with the White Fang, whoever she is, you don't stand a chance. You will die. And you can't leave me alone. Especially not now. We need you, both me and your son."

"I know. But I don't have a choice."

Ruby turned suddenly. She straddled him, grabbing his wrists. Surely she feared he'd run away to do that right now if she didn't stop him.

"Of course you do, don't give me that nonsense. You insist on doing it alone, but it's impossible, no matter how good you are as a hunter. At a certain point, the strength of numbers is absolute. You don't want me to go with you, to risk myself selfishly even though you do it freely? All right. I will sit here obediently, just as you wish. But only if you inform the authorities of everything you know about the plan.

"They want to hunt me down. And when they do, they will kill me. It's too risky."

"Don't talk to me about risks now. Please. You know it's your best option. Besides, if you save Vale, they might be willing to forgive your crimes. Or at least give you a shorter sentence. And if not... Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"All right," Jaune replied slowly and after a pause. "We'll do it your way this time. I just hope you don't regret it."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

Ruby got off the top of him, stayed on her knees by her side. She didn't seem completely calm. As if she suspected he had lied to her. And if that was really the case, she was right, of course.

"Give me your scroll."

"I don't have it. I left it in Beacon so they couldn't track me.

"So how do you expect me to inform the authorities without risking my neck? No, first of all... Who would believe me? I have no proof."

"The police may not believe you, but the headmaster is a different story. And with his reputation..."

"Yes, it makes sense. But to tell the truth, I'm not happy to have to depend on him. I haven't forgotten that he almost killed me."

"And neither have I. Believe me, I'll never forget that. But, as I told you, it's our best option. You understand, don't you?"

"I understand. But we still don't have a way to contact that bastard."

"I've got some money on me. It should be enough to buy another scroll, even if it's one of those cheap, throwaway ones. Then we'll break it and find another place to spend the night."

Those words helped him realize that he had overlooked an important detail.

"Ruby, have you eaten anything?"

"No. Don't change the subject."

"But it's important."

"Okay, okay. We'll go get something to eat after we buy a scroll."

"We?"

"Of course. I want to go out with you for a little while."

"That's not a good idea. Have you forgotten that I'm a fugitive? I've seen my face on wanted posters all over the city, and I'm sure you too must have seen more than one along the way."

"I'll lend you my cape."

"A man with his hood up all the time, in broad daylight... that sounds very suspicious."

"You will be beside a young, petite and totally adorable girl. No one will suspect you. Believe me."

Jaune sighed. He should surrender, stop pretending that he could go agaisnt her. Besides, her idea made sense. With the sole exception of a few people in Beacon, no one, absolutely no one, could look at Ruby and think that a person like her was walking happily alongside a murderer, a _monster_.

* * *

Jaune looked around as if fascinated by everything he was seeing and hearing.

Fascinated was not the right word, but it came quite close. Just because he was with Ruby, everything seemed different to him. The streets he had traversed countless times, and flown over, as if that wasn't enough, were those of another city in his eyes.

It was as if he were experiencing the sounds and smells of a city for the first time in his life.

Even the song of the birds, which had done nothing but irritate him before, now lifted his spirits, made him smile. He felt like one with the world around him, instead of being a stranger.

The sunlight shone on them both like a spotlight. As if it were blessing them.

He was so excited he could have screamed. But he didn't want to spoil this moment. Nor the luck they were having, since nobody had noticed him yet. Ruby's sweet smile, her innocent face and how polite she was certainly helped, and a lot, just as she had thought.

They bought a scroll and then went to eat with Ruby's remaining money. It wasn't much because they couldn't waste it all on this, but it would do. Anyway, he didn't much of an appetite. He had already... eaten enough to get fed up two nights ago.

The waitress left their orders on the table and left. Then Jaune looked at Ruby from under her hood.

He swallowed.

He never knew what to say or how to say it. But there was something he needed to tell her.

"Ruby?"

The one, who was busy devouring a hamburger, looked back at him with pieces of meat between her teeth and the corners of her lips stained with ketchup.

"Yes?" It sounded more like: _Yus_.

"Thank you."

"For inviting you? Don't mention it."

"No, for everything. We aren't normal people experiencing normal love, but this is good and normal, and I like to see you smile... I'm sorry. I'm not good at all with this.

"Don't worry," said Ruby, wiping her face with a napkin. "I understand what you mean. But don't see it as something special. This is just the beginning, a moment we can repeat as many times as we want. And someday... Someday we'll come back here with our child."

"Yes. Yes, of course."

When they finished eating, Jaune looked out the window, moved by an unconscious impulse. There he saw Summer's face reflected, only not the face she normally showed her. Her skin was all rotten, in several places there was bone visible. Her eye sockets had turned into nests of worms.

* * *

He wasn't in the mood to talk to Ozpin about anything. So, once they got back to the warehouse, he asked Ruby to make the call and told her every last detail. Once done, he sat with his back against the wall, to one side of the scroll, so as not to appear in the image. And he waited.

Ozpin didn't answer the first call, but he did answer the second. For a moment, he looked so surprised that Jaune had to suppress the desire to laugh.

"Miss Rose, where are you?"

"It's none of your business. And don't call me that." She took a deep breath. "I only called you to tell you something important, which I learned only because of Jaune. So shut up and listen to me."

Ozpin shut up and listened to her.

"Mountain Glenn... Are you sure?"

"Yes. And you should believe it, too. You can't afford not to."

"No doubt. It's about Vale's destiny, after all. I don't know if I believe you yet, but at least I will inform the proper authorities about it, I assure you."

"All right."

They went quiet.

"Ruby... It's not too late to come back, to reconsider. I beg you. I don't want you to end up like your mother. Especially not so young."

The call was suddenly cut off. By her.

Then Ruby cut the scroll in half with her scythe and threw the pieces against the wall, roaring. Jaune was paralyzed. He had never seen her like that before. And he never wanted to see her like that again. He tried to say something, but found no words. He tried to get up, but his legs faltered.

A shadow of the future rose over Ruby, wrapped in a snow-white cloak stained with blood. Ruby didn't notice, but it was as if Summer's appearance had affected her somehow, because the anger went out of her moments later.

She fell to her knees, her shoulders trembling and her eyes glued to the piece of ground between her legs.

Jaune rose to his feet, leaning on the wall with one hand.

He approached Ruby. And Summer, who turned her head to look at him with those nests of worms she had for eyes now.

"How dare he mention my mother to manipulate me?" Ruby shouted. "How dare you?"

"Don't turn around," Jaune said.

But, of course, she didn't listen to him. That would never work, and he should have known.

Before she turned around completely, Summer's face became normal again. What kind of mother would want her daughter to see her like that, after all?

Despite that, Ruby paled incredibly as soon as she saw her, to the point that she looked like a corpse. Her red cloak, back on her shoulders, provided a stark contrast that made her look even sicker.

She went for her scythe, grabbed it with both hands. But there was no courage or determination in her stance.

She looked even younger than she was. As if she had returned to the past, when Summer Rose was still alive. He had almost died of fear when he saw her appear for the first time. In Ruby, being her daughter, the effect would obviously be more severe.

"My daughter..."

"You are not my mother." Her voice trembled. "It's not possible."

"There are things," she slowly recited, "in heaven and on earth which the philosophers have not dreamed of. When I was still alive, I saw many things that others would have thought impossible. And, after that, even more. But I understand that it is difficult for you to accept it, my little rose."

"That's what my mother called me. But I told Jaune about it, that doesn't prove anything."

"Oh yeah?" Summer scratched her left ear from behind with an embarrassed smile, as if she had failed some sort of test. "Okay. Put me to the test, then, ask me all the questions you can think of."

Ruby thought about it for a long time.

"What did you gift me and Yang when I was six?"

"A dog you called Zwei. -Summer laughed softly. "You don't think much about names. No wonder, I didn't either. By the way, how's that little devil? Don't tell me he's dead."

"It's true, but no, no, no! It can't be possible."

"We won't get anywhere like that, my little rose. You have to be willing to open your mind. Take a leap of faith."

Ruby took two firm steps forward. She removed her left hand from the scythe and extended it towards Summer. The tips of her fingers passed through her mother's body, and Ruby withdrew her hand with a snarl, as if it had been burned. She suppressed the tears by sheer force of will.

"If it's really you, if you didn't die entirely that day, why have you left me alone all these years? My mother would not have done such a thing."

"And I wouldn't have done it if I had had another choice. I'm tied to Jaune for reasons I don't understand."

"You could have made him come to me. You could have explained, like now. If you didn't, it's because you didn't want to. Whatever the reason. And I am not sure if I want to hear it."

"My little rose, please..."

"Don't call me that. I'm still not convinced that you're my mother."

"Who else could I possibly be?"

Ruby remained silent.

"All right, as you wish. Ruby... Take a good look at me. I can't touch you, I can't hug you. For some reason I didn't disappear from this world, but most of me died. I am... the shadow of a person. And a shadow can't act like a mother. But I can protect you, and I've been working for that porpuse all these years."

Ruby cried out in pure rage, she twisted her face. For a moment, Jaune thought he would throw Crescent Rose at Summer, but instead she nailed it deep into the ground. Forming cracks around the blade.

"You're not my mother," she said with conviction. "I don't know what you are and why you think you're Summer Rose, but you can't be my mother.

"I know things that only members of your family could know..."

"Shut up!" She couldn't hold back any longer: the tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Shut up! Please..."

Yes, that would be best in more ways than one. For example, if they went on like this, sooner or later someone would hear them and Ruby and he would have to run away. That is to say, with even more haste than before. Because surely Ozpin, or one of those who worked for him, had managed to trace the call and already had their location.

"Summer," said Jaune, "get out of here. You're just hurting your daughter. And wasting our time. We are in danger."

When she looked at him, Summer's eyes filled with living worms again.

"I didn't give you permission to speak, monster."

"My mother wouldn't think that way," said Ruby quietly, as if she didn't have the strength to raise her voice. "She wouldn't speak in that voice dripping with hatred. Disappear right now, specter, stop sullying my mother's memory. Or I will kill you. I will find a way to erase you from this world."

Summer turned her head to look at her daughter. Her face changed again, of course.

"My little rose", she muttered, and suddenly disappeared, as if she had become one with the wind.

"What is she?" Jaune said once the silence became too heavy to bear. "If not your mother, what is she?"

The worst words he could have spoken in that situation. And Ruby gave him the only possible answer, looking at the sky through the holes in the ceiling.

"I don't know."

* * *

They found lodging in a not very good quality hotel. Ruby's remaining money was only enough for two nights, but they could think about what would come next when they had no choice. Now, what they both needed most was to rest their body and mind.

Even if they had plenty of money, it was not a good idea to go into a famous establishment. At least for the time being.

They had been lucky so far, but it would not have been strange if they had been recognized only by Ruby's cloak. Or the scythe. They were doing their best to go unnoticed, but they were people who naturally drew attention. For one reason or another.

Jaune saw the night fall through the window, lying on the bed next to Ruby. He knew he had to sleep, but he didn't feel like it.

He hugged Ruby from behind. He rested his head on his neck.

"Don't say anything," she replied. Without turning around, she grabbed one of his hands. "I need it too. I feel that I won't be able to sleep otherwise."

Ruby turned and kissed him, first sweetly, then hungrily.

* * *

When she woke up, Ruby found herself alone in the room.

"Jaune, you son of a bitch," Ruby muttered. She hit the sheets with a fist as if that could solve her problems. "You better be in the bathroom. Or getting some air."

She checked the bathroom and the balcony in that order. But, as she had feared, there was no trace of Jaune. He didn't have the decency to leave him a note or a letter, but she didn't need that to know where that fool had gone and what he intended to do. In spite of everything.

It was possible that the 'competent authorities'' had already taken care of Cinder Fall and the threat he posed to all humanity.

But she didn't think it was very likely. Even in that case, Jaune was in danger. And she had no intention of sitting in this wretched room until she returned with it.

As she had told him more than once, she knew how to take care of herself.

Ruby put the hood over the men, tied it around her neck carefully, remembering when her mother taught her to do so. With a much smaller model than the one she had now, of course.

With a sad smile, Ruby lifted Crescent Rose off the floor and placed it on her waist.

It was half past ten in the morning.

She knew Jaune well, so she knew the boy would have left by nine at the latest. She had to hurry if she wanted to arrive on time. Run like she had never run before.

* * *

So that's what Ruby did. She left the motel through the window, landed squatting in the middle of the street, to the displeasure of the passersby, and ran towards Mountain Glenn.

Under normal circumstances she would've made use of an aircraft, but these circumstances were anything but normal. First because Mountain Glenn had been abandoned, no aircraft would fly there. Second, because an aircraft would be too slow.

Jaune could already be fighting for his life, for the lives of all the people of Vale. Or even, as much as she hated to think about it, dying.

Ruby usually used his semblance in short bursts because it was difficult to control herself otherwise. Her body was much faster than that of a normal hunter, but not her perceptions.

However, once outside the walls of Vale, where her only obstacles were the trees of the forest and the few people she came across, it was not such a serious problem. Moreover, fighting Grimm or bad people was a very different situation than running for the sake of running.

She wasn't sure how pushing her semblance so hard would affect her baby.

She wished she had paid more attention in Sex Education class. But even if she knew for certain that it would be harmful, that it could even kill the baby, she had told Jaune that she would put him over the baby as many times as necessary. And she had every intention of keeping her promise.

Ruby put one hand on her belly, without stopping the run.

Still, she felt guilty. No mother wanted her child to die. But the alternative also seemed unbearable. She was caught between a rock and a hard place, and had made her decision.

 _Faster_ , she told herself. _This is not enough._

 _If I sacrifice my son and fail to save Jaune, I will have failed in everything. As a friend, as a wife, as a mother. And as a huntress._

* * *

Jaune knew the history of this place.

Mountain Glenn. A monument to humanity's failure. A gigantic tomb... no, mass grave. He didn't remember the details of its fall, but that was the least of it. It always was.

Although people lived happily within the kingdoms, the world was on the verge of collapse. The creatures of Grimm were an endless wave of darkness. How could one defeat an enemy who couldn't die? No matter how many hunters lost their lives in the fight between light and darkness, the Grimm would still be there. Waiting. Hungry.

In fact, the deaths of the hunters, symbols of all that is good, of love and hope, did nothing but feed those cursed creatures.

That would be clear to anyone who thought of it. But people didn't want to think.

As he walked through the ruined settlement, through the abandoned streets, Jaune Arc thought.

Hundreds of people had died here, humans and Faunus alike. Consumed by a horde of Grimm. There was no trace of blood and guts, in the air floated only dust and a smell that could be the one that gave off hope when it died. Dust. Dirt. Impermanence.

He was walking on corpses.

He was doing... what? If he had started in a mass grave, then what was beyond... Perhaps it was because of lack of sleep, but he began to think of this walk as a kind of metaphor for resurrection.

Maybe it would be.

If he stopped this, maybe they wouldn't put him in prison, like Ruby said. It should be like that. After all, what less for the boy who had saved the kingdom?

He saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. An enemy...

No. Summer. Summer's ghost.

"Why did you go back to Beacon?"

He stopped suddenly.

"You're inside my head," he said, unable to look her in the eyes. To even look at her. His heart hurt. "You should know why."

"Why did you come back?"

"My sword. I wanted Crocea Mors back."

"That's not an answer, Jaune."

 _Stop it. Stop saying my name like that._

"I wanted... I thought... my family."

"You're a mess. You can't even articulate your own thoughts. What about your family?"

Jaune closed his eyes, clenched his fists.

"I wanted them to give me strength," he whispered, sounding as if he was trusting her with a secret or confessing to her. "That relic is like a crystallization of my memories about them."

"What are you talking about?" Her voice reached him. Too close.

He opened his eyes at once, to come face to face with that ghost.

"What strength can corpses give you? All of them are dead. Gabriel. Chloe. Alice, Sarah, Adele, Juliette, Olivia, Suzanne... even little Sapphire. That sweet baby. The dead don't tell stories. The dead cannot hold your hand, guide your sword. Help you stand up when you fall. And even if you could see them after you die, like me, they would only spit their hatred over you. Do you know why?"

"Enough."

"Because you killed them."

"That's not true."

"Of course you did. You killed them because you didn't have the strength to protect what matters most to you. And despite all the years that have passed since then, all that you have seen and done, you have not changed in that sense. You've hurt Ruby over and over again. In spite of everything."

"Enough, please," he begged on the verge of tears. "Do not say more."

Summer hugged him gently and affectionately against her chest, caressed his back and hair like that day, minutes or perhaps hours before she died of her wounds. Her hands were warm. She felt real. Somehow.

"I love you. You know that, don't you?" she whispered in her ear.

"Me too."

"We only have each other. And Ruby. You should know that too. I don't want to be hard on you, but protecting her is your responsibility. I cannot trust Taiyang. Only you."

"I know."

"You must protect Ruby's happiness. Anyone who threatens her deserves to die. And they will do so at your hands, for you are her knight. Right?"

"I am."

Jaune hugged her back... or at least tried. His hands passed through her, they did not touch or feel anything.

"I am," he repeated.

His voice echoed in the silence.

* * *

He had no trouble finding what he was looking for. He saw nothing on the surface, so Cinder and the White Fang must have been underground.

It was a simple, logical conclusion.

Finding an entrance to the underground was not a problem either, even though he wasn't familiar with the area. The settlement had been abandoned, old and dilapidated. He simply slipped into the first hole in the ground large enough that he found.

Wrapped in darkness, he slipped through the tunnel, attentive to any human sound or smell. He was a monster. It was the Spider. They would become its prey. He had nothing to fear. And even if he did... it didn't matter as long as that didn't stop him from doing what he had to do.

( _so dark_ )

His heart shrank. The darkness was suffocating. It reminded him of when he was surrounded by the corpses of his family, inside the car, overturned and destroyed, for minutes that were hours, it reminded him of the smell of blood. To the glassy, doll-like eyes of his sisters. His mother's.

Couldn't he go even for a few minutes without being afraid? Although he had desperately searched for it for years, he had not found peace. Nor happiness. They had always eluded him.

But now, for the first time, he was close. The only thing standing in the way was the scum in the tunnels beneath the settlement. Once he killed them, won this battle, he would return with Ruby, and all would be well. Forever and ever.

He heard whispers. Blood flowing through veins.

He approached, hidden in the darkness. Three members of the White Fang. They clearly weren't expecting visitors, since they hadn't put on their masks.

"But she... Cinder... She looks at us like she's seeing piles of shit. Or less than that. I don't like her. I don't like her one bit."

"Yeah. But at least she's quiet."

"Yes, but if I'm in the White Fang, it's not because I can feel satisfied with something like that. And neither should you. Frankly, I can't wait for all this to end. I'd like to kill her with my own hands. Watching her expression of superiority break down, turn into impotent rage, into despair."

Jaune wasn't interested in any of that.

He wasn't in the mood to wait for something that might be useful to come out of their mouths, so he attacked.

He grabbed one of them by the throat and threw it back. The force and angle of the impact should break his neck before he had time to use his aura to protect himself.

The remaining two did not scream, they could not even do anything other than wonder what had just happened. Within seconds, without making a sound, he was on top of them. Shredding them to pieces.

Devouring their flesh.

* * *

Ruby was standing on the edge of a hill, watching what was left of the settlement through the scope of Crescent Rose. She had been told about what happened here, years ago, in class. But seeing it with her own eyes was another story. Her mind knew that this was a finale that repeated all over the world, that it was nothing special, in itself. Her heart, on the other hand, was full of pain.

 _I decided to become a huntress to prevent things like that from happening._ She took out Crescent Rose, unfolded her.

Ruby's hands were shaking.

 _No. I did it to escape my mother's death. I'm still running. That's what my semblance represents. It couldn't be clearer._

She took a deep breath, shook his head hard.

She hadn't seen a single enemy or Jaune, but this had to be the right place for good. Which implied that if they were not on the surface, they had to be beneath it.

She descended the hill without using her semblance.

Her whole body was aching, her legs were shaking. Only willpower kept her on her feet. She was in no condition to fight, but she couldn't turn around and leave after having come so far. When Jaune was so close...

She tripped, perhaps on a rock, perhaps with her own feet, and rolled the rest of the way.

Ruby turned around.

She threw up loudly on the grass, shaking from head to toe, and the time it took to stop seemed like an eternity. If she had been without strength before, now she felt like she was on the brink of death.

Ruby crawled into the ruins of a building, in case an enemy appeared.

She laid a hand on Crescent Rose. She needed to rest a bit, regain her strength. In that state she wouldn't be of any use to Jaune. But only a little, he promised himself, really.

When she became aware again of what was happening around her, the first thing she heard was the engine of an aircraft.

Ruby stepped out of the ruins with a slightly unstable step and looked up at the sky.

It was from Beacon. No doubt about it. And the chances of her older sister being there were not slim.

She couldn't wait anymore.

* * *

They were about to reap the fruits of a plan for which they had been preparing for months. Harkin regretted the lives that would be lost because of it, but he knew it was necessary. That the Faunus couldn't keep waiting for peace and understanding to bring about the changes so needed to the corrupt society in which they lived.

So it couldn't be because of guilt. But...

 _Drums_.

Then why was he so afraid?

He felt that there was something there, in the darkness, watching him and his companions. If anyone had approached, one of them should have heard him, even if it wasn't he himself. In fact, no one knew they were there, except their allies. Even if his premonition hit the nail on the head, he should have nothing to fear from that person.

It was inexplicable. He swallowed saliva with force, in the grip of fear. Now he saw everything and nothing in every shadow. Every whisper of the wind.

He heard something coming from behind him. Something like the sound of rain hitting a window pane. That made no sense either, because of the state of the area they were in.

Harkin felt soft hands on his cheeks.

There was something on top of him... A smile...

 _Hunting drums._

He shouted with all his might. Uselessly. A second later, the wraith snapped his neck with those soft hands that seemed like they could do no harm to anyone, not even the worst monster.

The memory of that woman's silver eyes was the only thing he carried with him into the darkness of death.

* * *

"What the hell was...!" He choked on his words. One of his partners was dead. But how? Why? In a few seconds, his mind transformed into a mess of contradictory impulses, like the moth that sought the heat of the flames even though part of it knew it was going to burn.

A creature fell from the ceiling.

No. A man. A little boy, really. Contrary to what they had been told, he didn't look like a Grimm, there was no trace of spider legs either. But he was certainly monstrous like that, with that vacant expression, as if his soul were outside his body, and bathed in blood and viscera.

He didn't know what it was, but he couldn't be considered a human being.

After overcoming the surprise and fear, they raised the alarm and shot him without hesitation. The bullets opened holes in his body, but closed quickly. And in the end, they only managed to get his attention.

They didn't realize when he moved.

From one second to the next, he was on top of them, among them. And the sword spun like the blades of a saw.

The little boy... no, the monster, screamed and his scream made countless crystals to explode.

They didn't take long to realize that this was his intention. From the broken crystals came ghostly hands that grabbed them, unbalanced them at the most convenient moment. Sometimes a woman with a spectral appearance would come out of there, wrapped in a white cape decorated with images of roses, and killed them with the scythe she had in her hands.

It was an image of death itself. A harbinger of calamity.

There were many of them, but they couldn't handle those two. Especially the woman. How could one defeat an enemy who had no body? An enemy who was already dead?

* * *

Ruby found an entrance to the underground, went fearlessly into the darkness.

If she had given it some thought, she would have purchased a flashlight yesterday. But it was too late for that. More than that, if she had stopped to think, she wouldn't have slept all night to stop Jaune as soon as he decided to leave. She had failed him, but she wouldn't make that mistake again.

How long had it been since she stopped to rest and lick her wounds? Minutes? Hours, even?

In any case, far too much time.

Later, she suddenly fell to one knee.

At first Ruby thought it had been caused by dizziness, but then he realized that something hot and disgusting was touching one of her legs.

She turned her head.

Even the semi-darkness couldn't hide the fact that it was a human leg, or what was left of it. And suddenly the silhouettes of other parts of the body, like seeds blossoming in a dead field, stood out from all around her.

Ruby drowned out a scream.

Who could have committed such a massacre?

She rose to her feet and pulled out Crescent Rose as fast as she could, wondering if the Creatures of Grimm were already there, lurking in the darkness. Watching. Waiting. But it could not be so. She couldn't see the glint of their eyes, red as blood. She couldn't hear their breath, always heavy like the breath of a hungry animal.

If the Grimm had done this, they were gone already. That or...

 _Jaune_.

She shook her head. She proceeded.

* * *

Where the path split in two, Ruby almost bumped into the people who had come in the aircraft. Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck and many people she didn't know, no doubt Atlas soldiers. Behind them was her sister's team and her own.

"Ruby..." Yang extended a hand towards her.

She took a step back.

"Please come back to me. You know this is crazy."

"And you should know that I don't care. Jaune is there somewhere. And I have to help him.

"These people can do that better than you. And you don't have to risk it. You're still too young, you lack experience. You don't have to be ashamed to recognize that the situation is beyond you."

"And what are you doing here?"

"I... we are here for you. You know it."

Without a doubt. That's why the others were just watching, waiting to see if Yang, the person closest to her, could make her listen to 'the voice of reason'.

"I will go with you," said Ruby slowly, "but only with Jaune by my side. Nothing you say can convince me otherwise."

Yang clasped her fists. Her Ember Celica.

"Then I will have to force you."

"I don't want to fight you."

"You leave me no choice."

"Stop, please." Ruby raised one hand. "I'm pregnant."

Yang froze.

She lowered her arms, wrapped Ruby in a lost gaze.

She couldn't blame her. It wasn't news that could be digested easily even under the best of circumstances. She would have preferred to tell her later, when all this was over, when, with a bit of luck, Yang would have started to tolerate Jaune. But it was a good distraction.

While speaking, Ruby had gathered strength and energy in her legs.

Releasing it all at once she shot forward like a bullet, pushing all the people on her way against the walls. The Atlas soldiers soon recovered and opened fire. However, not a single one of the shots reached her.

"That's enough!" one person shouted. She thought it was Ozpin, but she wasn't sure. She didn't want to look back even for a second. "Have you gone mad?"

* * *

Cinder heard a terrible howl.

That almost made her jump, but she had enough self-control to kill her reactions. She didn't even change her expression. She didn't know how it was possible, but that boy Roman's little whore told her about had found them. To trust the White Fang thugs to take care of someone that Roman and Neopolitan hadn't been able to kill together would be... unwise.

As always, if you want something to go right, you have to do it yourself.

She thought of chasing him, but immediately realized there was no need: the bird was flying straight into her hands. Almost literally. She couldn't wait to cut off his wings.

Cinder smiled. She wrapped her hands in flames.

"Start the train," she ordered no one in particular. Now that she thought about it, the boy had come at just the right time. Roman had conceived the plan, but even he didn't know everything that was going to happen today. She had changed a few details after his death. The starting point, the specific route. For example. She found it hard to think of it as a simple coincidence.

Jaune Arc disposed of the soldiers around her easily and jumped towards her.

She stopped the sword a few millimeters from her right eye, clutching the blade with her bare hand. Hatred burned in the boy's eyes like a bonfire. It would have been enough to cause an inferior person to tremble.

She had seen such a gaze only once. Her own in the mirror, when the world had fallen upon her shoulders, so he looking at her like that was painfully nostalgic.

She had been in the presence of Salem, the Queen of the Grimm, countless times, of course. But what was in that thing's eyes was neither hatred nor contempt. No, there was only a cold indifference there. Salem pursued the extinction of a great part of humanity because she believed it was the natural result, and it should happen as quickly as possible. Not out of hatred.

Although she was a kind of humanoid Grimm, Cinder couldn't say if Salem harbored any negative feelings. Except for the Wizard, of course.

"Who exactly are you? Why do you insist on getting in my way?"

The boy... No, the creature stayed silent.

He tried to escape her grip, but he wasn't strong enough. For the moment.

"You don't answer." She laughed. "I expected that. Words are of no use to someone like you, the only language you understand is violence, right? Well, I'm not that different. If I can't come to an agreement with somebody like civilized people, I end things my way. Permanently."

* * *

Cinder was fast. Much faster than him, at least.

Even approaching her was a challenge because the flames had increased significantly, from the beginning of the battle, in size and intensity. His powers of regeneration were strong, but they had a limit. Everything had a limit.

He, who had been fighting tirelessly for ten long years, surely had it as well. However ridiculous the idea might seem.

Perhaps today he would know his limit.

Perhaps today he would find an obstacle he couldn't overcome.

 _No_.

He gritted his teeth. He felt the taste of the blood of Ruby's enemies on the tip of his tongue, on his stomach. Its smell was sweet as a field of roses. Its smell was nauseating like that of a battlefield strewn with corpses. As if he had become an animal, his mind had been reduced to a mass of confused, sometimes even directly contradictory impulses.

It was possible that Cinder had not yet shown her semblance. But that was fine, he hadn't revealed all his cards either.

Summer passed through the glass of one of the windows like water and hit Cinder like a cannonball before disappearing. The impact almost made her fall off the train.

Jaune heard an explosion, but this time it wasn't glass what exploded. One of the bombs that would open holes in the tunnels for the Grimm to access Vale. He heard grunts, howls. The explosions would also serve to guide the Grimm to their destination, of course. Kind of like Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumb trail.

If he couldn't handle her this way, he'd have to change the rules of the game.

A few crystals had fallen on the roof of the train. Summer seized the moment to immobilize Cinder.

He attempted to stab her, but Cinder deflected his sword with an intense burst of fire that almost burned his face. She was trapped, but not helpless.

They clashed swords, only that the woman's sword was fire itself, they engaged in an intense duel. He was scared. He had no idea how much Crocea Mors could endure, but if he backed down, she would seize the opportunity to crush him. He couldn't let his guard down for a second. Every spark was dangerous to him, while she, with her Aura, would endure many cuts before the blade could pierce her flesh and stop the beating of her damn heart.

That wouldn't be a problem with a normal opponent. It hadn't been one before, when he had made his way through the tunnels, slaughtering everyone along the way. But Cinder was on another level.

In other words, his disadvantage was evident. And he could do little to compensate.

"Why do you conserve your human form?" Cinder asked, mocking. As if she could read his thoughts. "I know very well what you really are, what you are capable of doing. Show me your true face. Face me like the monster you are."

She was right.

Jaune howled loudly enough to be heard over the sounds of an entire horde of Grimm.

Four spider legs erupted from his back violently.

Then he grabbed her with those legs and his two arms and threw her up.

He jumped after her, of course.

Cinder landed on the roof. Yes, landed. She had enough control over her aura to stick there.

He couldn't do the same, as he had long since been left without an aura because of the transformation, but he had no intention of the fight taking place there for a long time. After all, the ceiling was just another floor. He would only gain an advantage by fighting in the air.

It was easy.

With his spider legs, he caught her, dislodged her and sent it into a free fall. He fell on top of her, punched her and kicked her, and cut her with the legs and the word. The fall ended about ten meters above the train, like... he didn't waste time thinking about the how of it. The only important thing is that it was that woman's doing.

They exchanged blows with the ferocity of some hungry animals. None of them even thought of defending themselves, only of crushing the enemy in front of them.

Soon, the train would leave.

He wanted to leave her on the ground so the Grimm could do their job for him and go stop that train, but he wasn't sure if it was as good an idea as he first thought. It could go very badly, couldn't it?

 _That's right. It's nonsense._

His legs closed around the woman's neck.

 _Kill her. Now, right here, and drink her blood._

Cinder turned the tables in a matter of seconds. She turned them both over, put her hands on his chest and with a burst of fire they flew against the train. They were on top of itagain.

Jaune recovered quickly from the impact, but Cinder was a little faster, and that was enough.

She grabbed two of his legs and set them on fire.

As they were consumed by the flames, he howled in pain and stirred like an insect pierced by a stick. The spider's skin burned. Only the man beneath it remained. No, the boy. A lonely, frightened child.

He crawled away from her, hoping to delay the inevitable. It was no longer the spider. He no longer possessed the power and security that entailed.

Now he was, at best, a knight without his sword. And what good was such a knight?

 _You must keep fighting._

Why? Why him? Let someone else catch her! It was not his responsibility to protect the realm, only Ruby. He would flee to fight another day. And he would ensure that Ruby and no one important to her died in Vale's defense. That was more than enough, was it not?

 _Get up._

But

( _I'm so scared_ ).

"I must congratulate you," said Cinder. Her heels made noise on the roof of the train as she approached. "You are one of the few people who have had the honor of making me bleed. Swear loyalty and I will spare your life. Someone like you would be very useful to me."

Jaune could hear the pain in her voice.

She was tired, hurt. Running on fumes. He had almost defeated her. But that was useless, now that he was

( _I'm not dead!_ )

helpless.

Someone appeared out of nowhere, caught even Cinder by surprise and hit her with a speed that a normal human being could not reach even if he trained every day of his life just for that.

Ruby Rose.

She had placed herself between Cinder and him, although he was supposed to be her protector. But she had arrived just in time. Seeing him snatched the air from his lungs. Seeing her reminded him of why he was fighting.

So he stood up.

Little by little, with great effort, leaning on the ground with one hand. His whole body hurt.

"It's you," said Cinder, wiping a thread of blood on the corner of his mouth. "Ozpin's little protégé. Today I will kill two birds with one shot."

Ruby ignored her. She glanced sidelong at him.

"Come on. Together, as it should always have been. We can do it."

Jaune nodded. He clutched the sword in both hands. More to make sure it didn't slip out of his hands than anything else.

"I don't want to hurt you," Ruby said. "Surrender if you know what is good for you. There are two of us, and you're on your last legs."

"Your friend is too," she replied with a carefree smile. "Besides..."

Then Ruby disappeared.

She had not moved of her own free will. A parasol had slipped between her legs, dragged her off the edge and thrown her into the train through one of the windows. Neo. That bitch. He should have foreseen that sooner or later she would appear, seeking revenge.

"I brought company," she finished.

Before her appearance, Cinder had looked to the left and smiled. He should have realized what was going to happen.

She raised a flaming hand.

"Let's finish our dance, knight."

* * *

Ruby didn't know what had happened.

Before she knew it she found herself inside the train, lying on her back and surrounded by broken glass. Through the window, which was now only a hole, a girl much shorter than herself slid inside. In one hand, she carried a pink parasol. In the other, a dagger to stick in her heart.

Ruby turned around, spinning away several times along the floor. At the same time as she finished the last spin, she stood up and lifted the scythe.

"Get out of my way," she said. "I have nothing against you, if yyou don't listen to me...!"

The other girl didn't answer. The choice she had made was clear.

"As you wish."

Jaune was fighting above them. Alone, dying. How dare that girl get in her way at a time like this?

"I'll kill you," she promised as if talking to herself.

* * *

Every attack was torture.

His body was on the verge of collapse, it couldn't stand the effort. But he didn't care. There was something he had to fight for. Something more important than his own life. Behind each of his attacks was the weight of his soul. His entire life. Since that day in the snow, he had been prepared to make a sacrifice like this.

But perhaps there was something different today.

Today he was fighting like a human being, like Jaune Arc, not like a monster. He was killing himself with each blow. That was beyond doubt. But he had the peculiar feeling that he was also recovering his humanity, piece by piece. The knights defied the impossible to the last breath, and that was what he had wanted to be since he was a child, what he had wanted to do more than anything in the world, was it not?

* * *

Cinder was irritated. Almost frightened, though she would never admit it.

The boy in front of her was half dead. As if that were not enough, her flames had burned him and reduced him to the form of a human being, robbing him of the only advantage he had over her. Even an single attack should be more than his dying body could bear.

No matter how she looked at it, he had no chance. So where did the force in his arms come from? Where were the signs of his defeat?

He defied understanding.

The only logical explanation is that she was prolonging this, playing with him... but that was unthinkable. Each of her attacks had been made to kill him. If he was still alive it was because he had repelled each and every one of them even though he shouldn't be able to do such a thing.

 _It's all right._

 _This won't last. It cannot last._

But her thoughts lacked conviction.

* * *

Ruby was rapidly losing ground.

The other girl was by no means as fast as she was, but her movements were agile, precise and fluid, which made her seem faster than she really was. If she had her semblance or a similar one, she would probably have been defeated in a matter of seconds. To make matters worse, the conditions were not ideal. She fought with a scythe. In other words, she was forced to make broad movements. Even though they were alone, the inside of a train carriage was too narrow a space. And she couldn't take the battle to an environment that favored her.

But that didn't mean there wasn't hope.

Jaune needed her right now, but she couldn't lose her calm against such an opponent. If she allowed himself to be carried away by rage and fear, the two of them would end up dead.

Upon entering Beacon, she had told her sister that she wanted to be normal. A student like any other. But she was not normal. She was a prodigy who had entered one of the most prestigious academies in the world two years earlier than normal, and definitely the best in the kingdom.

Suddenly, the girl put distance between them, stored the sword inside the parasol and put it aside, on the floor. Was she going to surrender?

No.

She grabbed the bars that people held when they had to stand on the train, on each side, pulled them out of their place and threw them against her.

Ruby bent at the waist. The first bar passed a few centimetres from her head.

She split the second in half with Crescent Rose, even though she had reinforced it with her aura. Obviously. What did you she think she was going to achieve with that?

Before Ruby could react, the other girl kicked her in the face with one of her boots. The force of the impact knocked her against the door. Her scythe brushed the glass, breaking it into a thousand pieces.

Not for the first time, Ruby felt the taste of blood in her own mouth. She spat it out as she straightened and prepared to keep fighting.

"Now it's my turn," she said. Promised.

* * *

I can't take it anymore, Jaune thought.

It was shameful but true. He had the feeling that every clash between them could tear his arms off. In fact, it was a miracle that he was still standing. Even he didn't understand where his strenght came from. It was as if the sword he held in his trembling hands possessed a mysterious power, independent of him.

It was increasingly difficult to remember why he had to endure this torture. He wanted to surrender. Rest forever.

Summer had exchanged her life with his. Sacrificing herself, she had changed destiny. So he was just a worn-out corpse waiting for the day of his death. Today could be that day. If he let go of the sword..., if he admitted that he was finished...

"Die already, you fucking animal!" Cinder shouted.

If she didn't reduce him to ashes, then he would be devoured by the Grimm. He could see it in his mind's eye. He could almost hear teeth cracking, his bones being crushed. His blood spraying around as if shoot from a sprinkler.

His sword almost slipped away, but something kept it there. Summer's firm hands. He could feel her body against his back.

She had been his strength in the worst moments, but now he was sure that what Ruby had said was true: whoever it was, that was not Summer Rose. He wasn't dependent on her anymore. Ruby's words, his memories of Ruby, were what pushed him forward. The reason to strive for survival.

 _I won't die yet._

He screamed. A very human sound, very fragile. Terribly weak. Almost as a counterpoint, he could still hear the howls of the Grimm, who were getting closer and closer to the train.

To the outside.

* * *

They crossed their weapons again and again in the narrow train carriage, filling everything with sparks that swirled in the air. Despite her best efforts, Ruby hadn't been able to give her a proper blow, but she was working on reducing the aura of the other girl to levels that would allow her to harm her.

After that, she would try to give him the coup de grace. She wouldn't hesitate. Although she didn't like the idea, she was too dangerous to let live.

Her opponent stopped, spun back several times like a dancer and threw herself out one of the windows. For several seconds she allowed herself to think that her opponent had fled, that she could finally go and help Jaune.

( _if he was not dead yet_ )

Then the girl came back through another window, breaking it, and crashed into her like a bullet. The impact made her head go through another window. It brought her closer to a fall that could seal her fate.

Ruby tried to recover, but she threw herself on her, put the parasol against her neck. And she pushed in the opposite direction.

Cutting off her oxygen.

Despite her size, her opponent was stronger than her. And the position favored her. If she could move the barrel of the rifle so that it would point towards her and pull the trigger... It was easier said than done, of course. She didn't have the freedom to make such complicated moves. Nor the strength to earn it.

Was she really going to die like that? In such a ridiculous, simple... way? He refused to believe it. To accept it. Ruby Rose was a girl, a teenager, a student and a hunter. But above all, she was an unstoppable warrior. It was in her blood. Nothing could make her submit.

 _I'll show you who I really am._

Ruby put strength in her arms.

Through the face of his enemy slowly crawled an expression of absolute indignation, as if she had just spit in his face.

 _I am stronger than you in every way._

 _I don't know what led you to this kind of life, but you could have clung to pride, dignity, kindness and love. Everything that makes being human worthwhile. A person as weak couldn't do anything against me from the beginning._

Ruby Rose got away from her and started her counterattack.

In a matter of seconds, she was unarmed and kneeling at her feet. With Crescent Rose stroking her neck.

"You hate me, don't you? You don't want to take me out of the way just because of your plans... or your boss'. You want to see me dead. And I don't understand. What could I have done to you? It's the first time we've seen each other."

The girl looked into her eyes. For a long time. Silently, like always. And she smiled with contempt, as if to say "get it over with".

-Go away -she decided, and lowered her scythe slightly.

The enemy didn't move.

"Do you want to die? Or hear my explanation?"

She nodded.

"All right, I'll talk. I think... I hope there's still hope for you. And you're unarmed. I can't kill you in cold blood, when you can't even defend yourself. It's stupid. I may even regret it soon. But I'm just not that kind of person. Besides..., I think it's what my mother would have done in my place."

Silence.

The whistle of the wind, the squeaking of the wheels of the train. The sounds of the battle that was still going on in the roof.

In the distance, but actually not far away, the footsteps and howling of the approaching Grimm horde.

Her opponent vanished like glass breaking, but left no trace, not even her weapon. And of course she didn't give her a few parting words to make her understand what she was thinking.

* * *

Instead of trying to kill him, Cinder had begun to restrain himself. Instead of feeling anger and frustration, she was strangely fascinated by that boy's superhuman effort. Like a video on the screen of a scroll. As if all this was happening to someone else.

She wanted to see how long it would last.

She wanted to understand why he was struggling. For many years, she had clung to a cold rage to escape her despair. Though false at first, that feeling had given her strength. It had allowed her to become the person she was today, someone who was a few steps away from usurping the position of Salem, the Queen of the Grimm.

That is why she thought that true strength entailed throwing away her soul like garbage.

That warm feelings were anchors that dragged you deep into the sea.

But seeing him next to Ruby Rose for less than a minute, she had realized that he was hopelessly in love with her. So... it seemed like he was fighting for love.

Maybe that was the answer she was looking for.

He clearly didn't care about himself. So he was the most dangerous kind of opponent, one who feared nothing.

A thought slipped into her brain.

Her teeth chattered.

What was beautiful and noble about that?

He was killing himself. Throwing away his life for the sake of another person who probably, no, surely didn't love him. But he was young. He didn't understand that love was a mirage, a cruel joke, a currency exchanged like any other. The girl wouldn't be willing to die in his place. She would mourn his death at first, but soon he would become a memory, he would vanish into nothingness, he would be as important to her as a fly or the color of the walls of her room. And if that were not enough, the poor fool would die satisfied by his sacrifice. Thinking it made sense. That it had weight and meaning.

Love? What did he know about love? What did he know about the world!

She wanted to erase that face with her flames. She wanted to hold him in her arms as he lay dying and whisper in his ear that nothing he had done in his life made sense.

But.

Hadn't she dreamt of that sort of thing before? Knights. Princesses and dragons. Happy endings, true love. And that poor girls like her could escape from the "tower".

The rage she had been desperately trying to gather slipped through her fingers like sand.

Now she just felt tired and defeated.

Maybe that's why... she let an attack pass that she could have easily blocked. The sword of the shattered, unarmored knight pierced her body, very close to her heart. The boy almost fell from the effort. He had to lean on her arm to stand.

"Why?"

Cinder didn't answer.

She looked down. Towards the wound, blood that fell in spurts. And she touched it lightly, with two fingers.

"Because... sometimes, hope should be rewarded."

From the look on his face, it seemed that he didn't understand her answer. But that didn't worry him. He didn't have to understand it.

Cinder looked at the ceiling, which was sliding in front of her vision at great speed.

After so many years of effort and sacrifice, her life had come to an end on a momentary whim. And yet... she couldn't regret it.

She smiled with her mouth full of blood.

The knight pulled the sword out of her body and let her fall from the train.

 _What have I done with my life? When did things start to go wrong?_

That was her last thought before the wheels of the train crushed her head, shattered her body and spread her blood and organs on the tracks.

* * *

Jaune Arc fell to his knees.

He had managed to endure until now, but tiredness and pain defeated him in the end. He felt like he couldn't move on his own even a meter more..., but that wasn't allowed for him. He hadn't stopped the train yet. Until then, he couldn't rest.

And Ruby. He had to check if Ruby was okay.

"Jaune!" At first he thought that her voice was his mind playing a trick on him, but the warmth of her hands on his shoulders made him realize that it was very real. She was very real. "Are you all right? What happened? Where is that woman?"

"Dead," he said. "But that doesn't matter now. The train... is still running. We have to do something."

"Yes, but what?"

"There's... there's a bomb there, in the last car. If we deactivate it, the Grimm won't be able to enter Vale.

"Neither you nor I know how to do it. And if it explodes in our faces, we could die."

"I don't know how to operate a train either, but we have to do something. After we've come this far, we can't let it end like this."

Jaune thought. But not for long.

Because he saw that the end of the journey was near. A solid wall. The one they had sealed to prevent the Grimm from entering Vale long ago, condemning countless people to their deaths and transforming the once prosperous settlement into a mass grave.

"There is no time for any of that. Help me up."

Ruby looked at him, uneasy. Holding her Crescent Rose.

"Hurry. There's no time to waste."

She did as he asked, let him lean against her body. And she followed his movements without asking questions.

Movements towards the last wagon. The edge of the train.

"What do you think...?" Ruby's voice was very small, he could hardly hear it under all the other sounds."

He knew what she was thinking. Although she didn't want to admit it, not even to herself.

"I'm going to stop this train. I'll... save you. I swear on our baby."

"You can't even stand without help! If you try that, the train will crush you like an insect. Let me take care of it."

"No." He grunted. "Enough of this."

And he jumped to about ten meters in front of the train. Maybe for the first time in her life, Ruby wasn't fast enough.

Jaune turned around.

He welcomed the train with open arms. His head hurt terribly, as if someone was beating hunting drums inside, non-stop. His arms and legs were as feeble as those of a newborn baby.

But the broken knight he was now wasn't the only shape he could count on.

He let the darkness envelop him, transform him. For some reason, he retained his size and human shape, it was the rest that changed. He faced the advance of the train with his hands, all the strength left in his body and more, and the help of the four spider legs.

He didn't stop.

Nor was he crushed.

The metal under his hands, his legs, sank inward, it squeaked. Sparks flew from it. He heard the windows in front burst. The broken glass rained down on his head, his back. The confused and frightened voices of the Faunus inside came to him.

One of them tried to shoot him from the window, but Ruby snatched his gun with the scythe, threw it away and jumped into the cabin.

Surely she was trying to stop the train in another way. To save him.

Jaune smiled to himself, though he could not stop shaking and was losing the battle.

He sank his feet into the ground. Literally. His muscles tightened even more, his whole body was filled with strength.

The crackling and sinking of the metal.

More crystals. Sparks.

One of them went into his eye, leaving him half blind for a few painful and endless seconds.

The train stopped completely dry a few meters from its target. Since it hadn't impacted the wall, the bomb wouldn't explode. And even if it did, it would only damage the wall, not tear it down.

His legs failed him.

Lying on the ground, he tried to move them and was not able to. The darkness got into his eyes. It consumed his consciousness.

As he left, he heard the soft voice of Ruby Rose approaching.

* * *

"Leave them alone. It's over, there's no way to fix this, we have to get the hell out of here!"

Darkness. Light.

His consciousness came and went like the tide. He was aware of few things. The heat. The cold. When something hit him in the lower back, maybe a piece of wood.

Distantly, he thought that someone was probably dragging him away from there.

Then he didn't remember what he thought. And he lost the ability to think.

"Jaune! Jaune!"

Hands on his shoulders. The darkness was shaking, stirring, it was like a maelstrom in a stormy sea. But it disappeared, and in the moonlight he saw the face of a girl who looked very familiar to him. What was her name?

His throat filled with blood.

He coughed, trying to expel it. The girl turned him almost completely, preventing him from drowning.

He didn't like... the taste of blood.

The tears on his cheeks. Why couldn't he stop crying?

"You have to keep your eyes open," she said, "you have to stay with me. Hold on. Please, hold on. Otherwise, I won't be able to forgive myself for this in all my life..."

What was her name?

Oh, right.

"Ruby..."

"I'm here." She squeezed her hands with hers. That's how he realized she was shaking. She looked strong, but she was afraid for him. She didn't want to lose him.

Despite the situation, Jaune smiled.

It had been worth it. The enormous effort he had put in during these ten years, the pain and the countless sacrifices, even this sacrifice. He had proven... that Summer hadn't died for anything. And Ruby... He had made her happy, right? Though their time together had turned out to be painfully short.

( _I am_ )

So don't cry. That hurts me deep in my soul. I just want you to be happy. I just want your future to be warm and full of light, just as you deserve.

( _I'm dying_ )

But I'm not afraid.

"Don't look at me like that," said Ruby. She hid her face in his chest. "I have failed you. Because of me... because of me..."

"Go. They're coming."

"I won't leave you alone.

"I'm already dead," he said slowly. "I died that day, in the snow. In your mother's arms. Or rather, I was supposed to die. So there's nothing to cry about. You don't have to regret this ending. Everything is back in place."

"Your place is by my side!" She shook him weakly. "By my side! I love you, do you understand? I love you... like I've never loved anyone in my life!"

"This is finished," he muttered as if talking to himself.

Ruby backed off, put a hand on his chest.

"I've read about this. Sharing aura. If I'm careful, if everything goes well, I should be able..."

Jaune made use of all his remaining strength to raise his hand and with it grasp her, taking it away from his chest.

"Don't say anything. I have to do this. If I don't, you will die before anyone arrives. Because soon the cavalry will arrive, Jaune. Men and women from Atlas, Ozpin and some of the teacher. It's dangerous, but there's no choice."

"Yes, there is. You may be able to save my life with it, but you would definitely kill our child in the attempt. I can't let you do that to yourself. You would regret it for the rest of your life."

"I told you, didn't I? That I'd put you first as many times as I needed."

"And I remember well..." Jaune replied, half-closing his eyes, suddenly very aware that he was breathing like a dying animal. Because that's exactly what he was. "I remember telling you I didn't believe it. And I still don't."

"Let me try," she begged him. "Let me protect you, as you have protected me so many times before."

Those eyes.

Sweet. Soft. Full of pain. And they possessed a beauty that defied description, even at this moment.

Jaune's hand fell. But not of his own free will. His body had simply failed him again.

"No," he begged in a voice so weak that Ruby might not even have hear him. "Please... don't do this to me."

Ruby ignored him.

It didn't take long before he felt a part of the girl's aura slide into his body. Healing him, while Ruby became weaker, even though the Grimm horde would soon reach whatever place she had dragged him to. Ruby couldn't have gotten very far with him in that state.

Fortunately, that didn't last long. The piece of her soul slipped away and disappeared without doing anything, like waves when hitting the shore.

Ruby shivered spasmodically.

"No," she mumbled. "Why doesn't it work?"

Jaune raised his arms. He took her hand in his own.

"Stop it. At this rate, you will not only kill our child, but also yourself. Even if you succeed, you will have to face an entire horde of Grimm with almost no aura or no aura at all. And alone, for I won't be able to fight so soon. Don't you understand that it doesn't make sense?"

"But... But... Jaune, I cannot let you die. -She turned her head. "The bomb, at least we can open an exit with it."

"No. You'd be able to put Vale in danger for me, but that's also something you'd regret for the rest of his life. I think we're both aware of that. And I don't want you to have to go through that."

"You don't understand! Do you think I'll forget you when you're dead? Your death will hurt me! It will hurt more than anything!"

She was right.

Whatever he did, he couldn't protect Ruby's smile now. She would always remember this day, and not in a good way. His head hurt too much to think.

He opened his eyes fully, as if trying to cling to life that way, and grunted weakly.

"I love you, Ruby."

"I know. I know." She bent down to kiss him on the lips. "Don't talk. Don't try so hard."

"I want you to know it wasn't your fault, okay?" His voice was getting weaker and weaker. "I chose this path. I made the decision to sacrifice myself... and you couldn't have done anything to avoid it. So be happy, okay? I don't want all of your memories of me to be tinged with anger and grief. Keep smiling. Brightening up the world. And, please, try to remember me as a better person than I was."

"You are Jaune Arc." She bowed her head. "My love. My knight..."

"Look at me."

Ruby looked at him. Her tears didn't stop falling, but she never looked away again.

Thanks to that, he was able to die in peace.


	13. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"Africa.  
That bird came from Africa.  
But you mustn't cry for that bird, Paulie, because after a while it forgot about how the veldt smelled at noonday, and the sounds of the wildebeests at the waterhole, and the high acidic smell of the ieka-ieka trees in the great clearing north of the Big road. After awhile it forgot the cerise color of the sun dying behind Kilimanjaro. After awhile it only knew the muddy, smogged-out sunsets of Boston, that was all it remembered and all it wanted to remember. After awhile it didn't want to go back anymore, and if someone took it back and set it free it would only crouch in one place, afraid and hurting and homesick in two unknown and terribly ineluctable directions until something came along and killed it."

Stephen King, _Misery_.

Neopolitan was the first to arrive.

She stayed some distance away, watching the couple. Their farewell. Their definitive separation. With one hand on her parasol, making it spin. It would be so easy to kill her now...

But in the end she turned around and melted into the darkness.

What did she leave behind? In a circle made by the dim moonlight, Ruby Rose held the corpse of her knight against her chest. She had scattered rose petals everywhere. Very appropriate, for this dirty, dark place had become Jaune's grave, and precisely that was usually left in tombs. Flowers.

It was an unreal scene, like an image pulled directly from a dream.

In reality, none of them could be said to be alive or dead. They were simply suspended in time. Until the fantasy came to an end. Until reality found a crack to crawl through.

If she had been paying attention to her surroundings, perhaps she would have noticed a ghost with silver eyes and a white cape watching her from a small puddle of water until she disappeared as well. But she wasn't.

Ruby looked up. Through the small hole through which the moonlight seeped, pouring over her like water. Her heart trembled. How could it not? She was painfully aware that she had lost something she couldn't recover. That no one would ever love her the way he had, ever. For good or ill.

It was too late to regret it. To think about what she could have done differently.

Grunting, howling. Heavy breaths.

The monsters had arrived. They wanted to end her, the only prey they had found at the end of the long road. They wanted to devour Jaune's corpse. Taint hise memory.

Ruby stood up, leaving him carefully over his bed of rose petals.

She grabbed Crescent Rose, which she had left on the floor near him.

She turned around.

Her eyes, usually silver, now shone with a pure white light. The creatures recoiled quickly, as if frightened... Yes, they were frightened. Good.

Ruby Rose brandished her scythe.

 **END**


End file.
